The Gardener’s Son

Dr. Perceval makes a house call to the Gregg estate in Graniteville after William Gregg is declared dead from illness. He confirms the death and begins to assess the family's immediate needs. The visit signals the town’s dependence on the mill and the social upheaval looming ahead.

The doctor and Mrs. Gregg visit Patrick McEvoy's house to tend to his son Robert, whose infected leg has become a danger. Seeing the infection, Mrs. Gregg persuades Robert to consent to an amputation to save his life. The procedure marks the start of a brutal adjustment to life in Graniteville.

William Gregg is buried in a well-attended ceremony. The eulogy praises his industrial leadership and the town's loyalty to the mill. The funeral cements Gregg's legacy in Graniteville's memory.

Robert, now with a prosthetic leg and a crutch, takes a job sweeping up at the mill. His new role embodies both resilience and the harsh social rules of the town. The injury alters his place in the community and within the Gregg family.

A group of impoverished people arrives by train to Graniteville seeking employment. James, now the mill's owner, turns them away, highlighting the dispossession faced by the poor. The moment underscores the growing tension between class and opportunity in town.

Over supper, Mrs. Gregg and Patrick discuss Robert's perplexing, troubled nature, while Robert is absent from the table. They debate the mill's moral duties and the costs of keeping Robert in the Gregg orbit. The scene deepens the family tension surrounding his fate.

James and Mrs. Gregg visit the grave of an unnamed boy who died visiting Graniteville in 1855. James chides his mother for her paternalistic concern for the poor and the town's less fortunate. The moment exposes the fault lines within the Gregg household regarding social responsibility.

Martha, fourteen, searches for Robert and encounters James, who makes lewd remarks and offers her a gold piece in exchange for her silence. She flees in fear, illustrating the vulnerability of the Gregg household's youngest members. The incident foreshadows the moral compromises surrounding the mill world.

Mr. Giles, an assistant at the mill, finds Patrick in his glasshouse and asks after Robert. Patrick admits he does not know his son's whereabouts. The exchange reveals how little the family can rely on others during Robert's absence.

Martha writes to Robert that their mother has fallen ill again and that they wish he would return. Robert discovers his mother has been buried and that he has lost his job, driving him to drink with mill workers like Pinky. The sequence deepens his sense of isolation and anger at the Gregg world.

Robert returns to the mill and confronts James in his office. After an argument, Robert shoots James in the stomach; James fires back but misses. Robert then kills James, and the mill workers step outside to witness the outcome.

Robert stands trial for murder before a majority-black jury. The prosecutor delivers opening statements while witnesses including Giles testify. The defense, led by O. C. Jordan, notes Robert's erratic nature and decides against calling female witnesses to avoid sullying the Gregg name.

Martha visits Mrs Gregg at the trial, initially appearing to plead for Robert but then reveals that James may have harmed her. Mrs Gregg, misreading the scene, asks her servant to bring tea and dismisses the girl. The scene underscores the growing estrangement within the Gregg household.

Robert sits for a studio portrait, careful to hide his legs from view. The photographer asks to make copies for sale, offering proceeds to his family, but Robert resents the idea and warns against profiting from his image. He suggests the public would be ignorant enough to buy his likeness, while his family would not benefit.

Robert is executed by hanging, and Dr. Perceval declares the time of death. Patrick carries his son's body in a coffin onto a wagon and rides away, signaling the end of a long, brutal ordeal. The Gregg era in Graniteville closes with a somber silence.