Paul Newman plays Ben Quick a suspected barnburner who drifts into a small Mississippi town intent on working to build a comfortable life for himself. He catches the eye of wealthy landowner Will Varner (Orson Welles) a tyrannical, intimidating patriarch who decides the determined young man would make an ideal husband for his feisty independant daughter Clara (Joanne Woodward) and ensure the survival of his empire. This provacative tale set in America’s Deep South simmers with sexual tension and a powerful clash of personalities. Co-starring Lee Remick and Angela Lansbury. Based on three stories by William Faulkner.