The Pride of Jesse Hallam

Jesse sells the family farm to his brother-in-law for $15,000 and packs Jenny and Ted into a pickup truck to move to Cincinnati. He leaves Muhlenberg, Kentucky with high hopes for a fresh start in Cincinnati. They place their remaining belongings on the truck and head toward a hospital-based solution for Jenny's back problem.

In Cincinnati, Jesse checks Jenny into the hospital and pays $14,000 for her operation. He uses most of the cash from selling the farm to fund the medical procedure and begins to navigate life in a new city. The weight of medical bills underscores his precarious finances.

After getting Ted registered at Harding High School, Jesse looks for work but backs off when asked to fill out a job application. The tentative job search reflects his struggle to establish a livelihood in Cincinnati. He remains determined to provide for his family.

While helping Sal set up at a farmers' market, Jesse witnesses a vendor attempt to cheat an elderly grocer by selling inferior apples. He intervenes and stops the fraud, earning Sal's respect. Sal immediately offers Jesse a job, giving him a foothold in the community.

Sal rebukes Jesse for placing their wares on a space marked with another name, and quickly realizes that Jesse is illiterate. He arranges for Marian, his daughter and Ted's principal, to teach Jesse. This turns a personal humiliation into an opportunity for learning.

Ted struggles academically, especially with reading, which also isolates him socially and leads to trouble with authority. A police officer ultimately brings Ted home after he drinks with a group of friends. The family begins to see the school as a path to help him.

Jesse makes progress with reading, inspired by Marian's tutoring and a copy of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. The book becomes a catalyst for confidence and a declaration of renewed effort. Marian suggests a summer reading program at Harding High School to push him to a higher grade level.

Jesse fails the written portion of his driver's test, which shatters his momentum and makes him consider returning to Kentucky. He decides to go back, a choice that tacitly pleases Ted who clings to the idea of more familiar surroundings. The setback drives him to focus more on reading as a path forward.

After the school year ends, Ted brings home a report card showing an A in gym and a D in math, with failures in other subjects that depend on reading. Jesse realizes Ted's reading difficulties are at the core of his academic struggles. The moment underscores the stakes of the remedial learning path ahead.

In the final scene, Jesse and Ted show up at Harding High School for the remedial reading class Marian had suggested. The teacher calls roll, and both fathers and son proudly answer 'here', signaling a new beginning for their education. The moment closes the chapter on their move and their commitment to learning.