Texas writer Horton Foote's touching story set in 1902 features Robert Duvall as Sol the hardened boss of a sugar plantation who unwittingly becomes a mentor to a young boy named Horace (Lukas Haas) who comes to Sol looking for a way to earn a living. Horace eventually learns through his associations with Sol Ben (James Earl Jones) and others that life though it isn't always fair or just is worth rising for every day.