Walk the Line

In 1944, Johnny Cash grows up on a cotton farm in Dyess, Arkansas with his brother Jack, abusive father Ray, mother Carrie, and two sisters. Jack dies in a sawmill accident while Johnny is fishing, and Ray blames Johnny, telling him the Devil took the wrong son. This event seeds Johnny's early pain and the tensions that shape his music.

Johnny serves in the U.S. Air Force in West Germany. He buys his first guitar there and begins writing songs, laying the groundwork for his future sound. The seed of Folsom Prison Blues will grow from this period, with the tune developed by 1952.

After his discharge in 1954, Johnny returns to the United States and marries Vivian Liberto. The couple moves to Memphis, Tennessee, where Johnny works as a door-to-door salesman to support his growing family. His early struggle with stability and money pushes him toward music as a path to success.

Johnny walks past a recording studio, inspired to form a gospel leaning band, and auditions for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Phillips signs them after they play a material that helps define his early sound. The band becomes Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, launching him into the broader music scene alongside other rising stars.

While touring, Johnny meets country singer June Carter. He is immediately smitten and attempts to woo her, but she initially rebuffs him. Despite the rocky start, they become friends and continue to cross paths as his career grows.

As Johnny's fame grows, he struggles with drugs and alcohol, while June's influence grows in his life. The tour is a success, but backstage Vivian grows critical of June's impact. Their relationship faces strain as the addiction deepens.

After an on stage meltdown, Johnny's dependency intensifies and he collapses during a performance in Las Vegas. June rebuffs his overtures; he disappears into more pills and alcohol. In response, June puts her feelings into writing Ring of Fire as a symbol of the pain she endures watching him slip away.

Johnny travels to Mexico to obtain more drugs and is arrested, which shatters his marriage to Vivian Liberto. The couple divorces, and Johnny relocates to Nashville in 1966 to restart his career and life.

In 1966, Johnny buys a large house near a lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee, hoping to reconcile with June Carter. A Thanksgiving gathering with June's family and Ray Carter triggers a detox and a second chance in their relationship. He awakens beside June, ready to pursue a healthier future.

Johnny records a live album at Folsom Prison after discovering fan mail from inmates, turning a moment of despair into a triumph. The performance is a critical success, and he embarks on a tour with June and his band as a new chapter of his career begins.

On stage during the tour, Johnny invites June to join him for a duet and declares that they must marry if they want to sing Jackson together. June accepts, and they share a passionate embrace on stage, sealing their partnership in front of their audience.

Toward the end of the film, Johnny and his father reconcile their relationship as the two families come together. The moment signals a closing note of forgiveness and renewed family bonds that frame Johnny's life.