Henry, an aspiring rockabilly singer, is haunted by a traumatic, abusive childhood at the hands of his foster mother, Miss Kate.
Georgette Thomas (Lee Remick) and her young daughter, Margaret Rose, travel to Columbus, Texas, to reunite with her husband, Henry (Steve McQueen), who has just been paroled from prison.
While Georgette tries to build a stable home, Henry’s explosive temper and desire for musical stardom clash with the strict terms of his parole and the psychological scars of his past.
