The Locusts

In 1955, drifter Clay Hewitt wanders into a small Kansas town in search of employment to finance a trip to California. He quickly assesses the local mood and crosses paths with a local beauty queen, Kitty, hinting at the relationships to come. His arrival sets the stage for his entanglement with Delilah Ashford Potts and her farm.

With the help of farmhand Earl, Clay secures a job at Delilah Ashford Potts' cattle farm. He begins to settle into farm life and forms an early connection with Kitty, the town beauty queen, while keeping a wary eye on Delilah’s reputation. The farm becomes the center of his unfolding troubles.

Delilah’s husband takes his own life after discovering her infidelity, underlining the ruthless dynamic around the Potts farm. The incident deepens Clay's wariness of Delilah and foreshadows the power she wields over her workers. This backdrop explains why Clay is wary of getting involved with her.

Clay resists Delilah’s advances, earning her anger and sparking a rivalry with her current lover, Joel Carter. The dynamic injects tension into the farm’s social circle and foreshadows further conflict. Clay’s stand also marks his decision not to become another of Delilah’s affairs.

Clay develops a protective friendship with Joseph Flyboy Potts, a sensitive, withdrawn youth who has just returned from a psychiatric institution. Flyboy shares the trauma of his family’s history and his sense of isolation on the farm. The bond becomes central to the story’s emotional core.

At Clay’s suggestion, Flyboy asks Delilah to be allowed to work with the animals on the farm, hoping for purpose and belonging. Delilah uses this moment to consolidate control over him and the other workers. The request pushes the social dynamics toward a breaking point.

Delilah, aided by Joel, ties Flyboy up and forces him to watch as she castrates his pet bull, which bleeds to death. The act devastates Flyboy and reveals the depth of Delilah’s coercive power. The farm’s atmosphere shifts from tense to doomed.

The brutal incident prompts Joel to end his romance with Delilah and depart the farm, removing a key ally from her inner circle. The departure marks a turning point in the power struggle on the property. Flyboy’s trauma deepens as the adults’ conflicts intensify.

Delilah leaves the farm for a business trip, stepping away from the immediate control she wields over her workers. This temporary absence provides Clay with an opening to plan his next move and to help Flyboy. Flyboy remains on the farm amid the ongoing turmoil.

Clay reveals to Kitty that he is on the run from authorities after a wrongful death charge and asks for her help teaching Flyboy to stand up for himself. Kitty agrees and arranges for Flyboy to be mentored by one of her friends. The plan focuses on giving Flyboy agency before Clay’s departure.

Flyboy confides to Clay that Delilah sexually abused him as a child and helped drive his father to suicide, for which Flyboy blames himself. This disclosure strengthens Clay’s resolve to intervene and protect Flyboy, even as the danger of confrontation grows. The bond between Clay and Flyboy becomes a catalyst for the tragedy ahead.

Clay returns to the farm to collect his payment and is confronted by Delilah, who tries to coerce him into a sexual bargain to avoid arrest. Flyboy arrives on the scene and, finding Clay with Delilah, dies by suicide in the same manner as his father. Enraged, Clay confronts Delilah, who then shoots herself; Kitty arrives to comfort Clay, and the two leave town together.