Summary
From the seemingly tranquil, yet subtly treacherous, environs of Old Ebenezer, Arkansas, a homely New England schoolteacher named Sam Lyman arrives, his modest ambition centered on legal studies. His world, however, is dramatically upended at the annual town social, a gathering hosted by the affluent Banker McElwyn. A lighthearted game of forfeits unexpectedly culminates in a mock marriage between Sam and Eva, the banker's captivating daughter and the town's most coveted belle. This playful charade, to the astonishment of all, proves legally binding. Though Sam, ever the principled gentleman, offers to annul the union, Eva, acutely aware of her father’s designs to marry her off to the avaricious mule dealer Zeb Sawyer, shrewdly proposes a marriage of convenience, strictly in name. This unconventional pact ignites a furious campaign of slander and intimidation from both Zeb and McElwyn. When verbal attacks fail to dislodge Sam, they escalate their malevolence, dispatching night riders to physically assault and drive him from town. Yet, Sam, possessing an unyielding, understated resilience, steadfastly refuses to capitulate. The conflict reaches its zenith when Zeb orchestrates a calculated run on McElwyn's bank, threatening to unravel the town’s financial stability. In a stroke of unexpected genius, Sam intervenes, not only depositing his legitimate earnings from a burgeoning literary career but also employing a brilliant ruse: bags ostensibly filled with a substantial sum, but in reality containing mere horseshoes, effectively quelling the panic and safeguarding the bank. Witnessing Sam's unwavering integrity, quiet courage, and sharp intellect throughout these trials, Eva, in a poignant culmination, definitively rejects the notion of annulment, affirming a deeper, more genuine bond that has irrevocably formed between them.
Synopsis
Homely schoolteacher Sam Lyman arrives from New England to settle in the Mississippi Valley town of Old Ebenezer, Arkansas while he studies law. During a game of forfeits given at the annual town social by Banker McElwyn, the richest man in town, Sam marries the banker's daughter Eva, the prettiest girl in town, in a fake ceremony. The couple later discovers that the marriage is legal and Sam offers to bow out, but Eva, who does not want to marry her father's choice, rich mule dealer Zeb Sawyer, persuades Sam to continue the marriage in name only. After Sam withstands slander from Zeb and McElwyn, they send night riders to horsewhip Sam and run him out of town, but he stays. When Zeb launches a run on McElwyn's bank, Sam saves it by depositing money he receives from writing a novel and bags marked $20,000, which are filled with horse shoes. Afterward, Eva refuses to have the marriage annulled.
