Union army major Drango (Jeff Chandler) is assigned to rebuild a ruined Georgian town in the aftermath of the Civil War. Despite his best intentions, Drango has trouble combatting the hatred and resentment of the townsfolk. In particular, Clay Allen (Ronald Howard), the hotheaded son of Judge Allen (Donald Crisp), does his utmost to sabotage Drango's efforts and foment a Confederate insurrection. It takes the conscience-stricken intervention of the Judge himself to prevent wholesale bloodshed. The film's low-key romantic interest is handled by Joanne Dru and Julie London, cast respectively as the daughter of a despised Union sympathizer and an "unreconstructed" female plantation owner.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide