The Long, Hot Summer

Ben Quick stands trial for barn-burning but with no solid evidence the judge orders him to leave town. He accepts the decree and heads out, already planning to start anew elsewhere. The ruling marks the first major turning point in his relationship with the town of Frenchman's Bend.

Ben hitches a ride to Frenchman's Bend in a convertible with Clara Varner and her sister-in-law Eula. The journey introduces him to Clara's world and to the domineering Will Varner, who controls most of the town. The ride is the gateway to his new life in the Varner orbit.

With Will away, Jody grants Ben permission to become a sharecropper on a vacant farm. Ben quickly ingrains himself as a fixture on the property and earns Will's attention. The arrangement foreshadows the power dynamics that will drive the rest of the plot.

Will Varner returns from a hospital stay and initially recoils at the idea of hiring a 'barn burner'. But he soon recognizes in Ben the ruthlessness and ambition he admires in himself. This shift marks Will's strategic plan to leverage Ben for his family’s future.

Will schemes to push Clara toward a union with Ben in order to secure his bloodline. He offers to make Ben wealthy if he marries Clara, turning the boy from the wrong side of the tracks into a respected heir. The scheme heightens the tension between Ben, Clara, and Jody.

Clara is openly hostile to Ben as he pursues her, rejecting his advances and challenging the social expectations around the Varner family. She remains loyal to herself and to Alan, resisting the manipulation around her future. Will's plans to drive the two together show his willingness to break with tradition.

Minnie Littlejohn, Will's longtime mistress, grows tired of the status quo and pushes for marriage of her own. Her desires add another layer of pressure on Will as he maneuvers for a lasting dynasty. The tension reveals the personal stakes behind the town's power games.

Ben sells some worthless wild horses for Will, earning himself a job as a clerk in Will's general store alongside Jody. Will even invites him to live in the family mansion, cementing his elevated status in the Varner household. The move deepens the bond and rivalry with Jody as the family's ambitions grow.

Jody pulls a gun on Ben and threatens to kill him, but Ben defuses the situation by spinning a tale of buried Civil War-era coins found on Will's land. The claim shifts the power balance and triggers Jody's curiosity as he digs for proof. The scene marks a turning point in the father-son dynamic and the plot's suspense.

Jody digs up a bag of coins and becomes elated, thinking he has finally escaped his father's domination. Will later notes that one coin is minted in 1910, which undermines Jody's triumph and deepens his disappointment. The revelation shatters Jody's confidence and shifts the power balance again.

Clara questions Alan about his intentions, and he replies that he only wants to help her rather than marry. Will misreads the situation and congratulates Alan and his mother on an impending marriage, which irks him when he learns the truth. The misunderstanding intensifies the social chess game around Clara's future.

Jody bolts the barn and sets it on fire, but he cannot go through with it and releases Will. Word spreads that Ben is the culprit, and men from town prepare to lynch him. Clara rescues Ben, driving him back to the plantation, where Will defuses the crisis by admitting he started the fire by accident.

Ben tells Clara that his father was a barn-burner and that he has been falsely accused because of his lineage. He reveals his plan to leave town, but Clara makes it clear she has fallen in love with him. The moment seals the personal stakes behind the town's ambitions.

Will is pleased with the success of his scheme and quietly contemplates that his dynasty may endure forever. His manipulations have achieved their aim, even as the lovers contemplate a future together outside the town's confines. The story ends with a grim note on power and legacy.