New Hope Valley, Tennessee

ACT I:

A menacing prelude leads to a square dance which is in progress in front of the church; the wives of the Elders are gossiping maliciously about Susannah Polk, the belle of the ball. Her mother is dead and her brother drinks. Olin Blitch arrives with a reputation for bringing sinners to repentance, and it is not long before Mrs. McLean is bad-mouthing Susannah to him, which does not prevent him joining the dance.

The same evening outside the Polk farm, Little Bat, a fifteen-year-old, walks Susannah home. She is affected by the beauty of the night sky and wonders what it is like away from the valley. Sam comes in and asks about the dance, then sings the Jay-bird song she has liked since childhood, before dancing her around the yard.

The next day, The Elders are out looking for a baptism creek. Their search brings them near the Polks’s farm and they catch sight of Susannah bathing. Seeing her naked sets them all off and they blame her for their own dirty thoughts. She must be reported to the Church and made to confess her sin.

There is a picnic supper set up outside the church. The Elders and their wives mutter about Susannah when she arrives carrying a dish. Elder McLean tells her she is not welcome there and she runs off in distress. Little Bat goes up to the Polk place and tells her that his father and the other Elders saw her bathing naked that morning and mean to punish her. She protests that it was they who were in the wrong spying, not her. Little Bat says it’s worse than he said; his father and mother forced him to say publicly that ‘you’d let me love you up.’ Sam tries to comfort her and she asks him to sing the Jay-bird song again.

ACT II:

Outside their house, Sam and Susannah discuss the hostile atmosphere. Sam is afraid it will not improve until she confesses – but she says she has nothing to confress. She tells him the preacher talked pleasantly to her in the store and wants her to go to the meeting that evening, but she cannot face it. Sames has to go away that night to empty his traps, which fills Susannah with foreboding. But he persuades her against her will to agree to go.

Inside the church the same evening, the Reverend Blitch starts to preach. He tells them of a dying man in Texas who failed to confess and was damned to eternal fire. During a hymn, some boys and girls come forward and he lays his hands on them until they all turn towards Susannah. He urges her to leave her seat and she walks right toward him, then turns with a cry and runs into the night.

Susannah is alone and distraught. The preach follows her home and tells her to pray with him. She refuses, then tells him Little Bat confessed to her he lied. Blitch begins to leave, then turns back and leads her into the house.

The next day, Blitch in church rebukes himself for his sin before the Elders and their wives gather. In mounting disbelief they hear his attempt to exonerate Susannah. Blitch asks Susannah to forgive him.

At home, Susannah watches Sam come back from his expedition drunk. Susannah tells her terrible story and Sam starts to threaten revenge and gets his gun. Susannah waits in anguish as Sam leaves. A shot rings out and Little Bat comes running to tell Susannah what has happened. A mob from the own come to get Sam. Susannah bursts into laughter and pulls a gun on the mob as they threaten to kill Sam. The mob leaves muttering curses. Little Bat emerges from the bushes and Susannah slaps him hard across the face.