William Pittman Priest has to use all his wiles to retain his position as judge in his Kentucky hometown, while continuing to be a voice for the town's underclass and for democratic values.

John Ford weaves three "Judge Priest" stories together to form a good-natured exploration of honour and small-town politics in the South around the turn of the century. Judge William Priest is involved variously in revealing the real identity of Lucy Lake, reliving his Civil War memories, preventing the lynching of a youth and contesting the elections with Yankee Horace K. Maydew.—Bernard Keane <[email protected]>