Summary
In a frontier community steeped in fervent piety, the arrival of Ephram Judson, a peripatetic evangelist, alongside his earnest daughter Ruth and impressionable son Tom, ignites a spiritual revival. Yet, on the periphery of this zealous congregation lurks Hugh Lee, a man scarred by a profound tragedy: the immolation of his sister on her wedding day, an event that shattered his faith and cast him into bitter isolation. A chance encounter with the compassionate Ruth, however, begins to thaw the ice around his heart, rekindling a flicker of hope that briefly illuminates his desolate world. Persuaded to attend a Sunday service, Lee is abruptly overwhelmed by the spectral vision of his sister's fiery demise, provoking a visceral, public denunciation of the very religion he once embraced. This sacrilegious outburst electrifies the worshippers, who, in a swift surge of righteous indignation, pursue him into the surrounding wilderness. Simultaneously, a more terrestrial drama unfolds: the considerable day's offering, entrusted to young Tom, falls prey to the allure of a local card shark. In a moment of reckless abandon, Tom gambles away the church funds, losing them to the village sport, who then uses the ill-gotten gains to settle a debt with the grocer. Witnessing the grocer conceal the money, a desperate Tom resorts to theft, only to be pursued and wounded. Fleeing in panic, he seeks sanctuary in the only place he can conceive of: Hugh Lee's cabin. Believing himself to be on the precipice of death, Tom pleads for Ruth, prompting Lee to brave the night and bring her to his secluded dwelling. The grocer, meanwhile, rallies the community, including the evangelist, into a vengeful mob. Tracing Tom to Lee's cabin, they descend upon it, finding Ruth, disheveled from sleep, but steadfastly protecting her brother and the ostracized Lee. The mob's fury erupts; Lee is savagely dragged out, a noose ominously placed around his neck. Ruth, refusing to betray her brother or compromise Lee's honor, despite his pleas, defiantly asserts divine intervention. As a tempest rages, the torch-wielding mob, having torched Lee's cabin, forces him towards the revival grounds. The mob leader casts the noose over a sturdy tree limb and whips Lee's horse forward. In that precise, climactic instant, a colossal bolt of lightning cleaves the limb, felling Lee to the ground unharmed, and simultaneously strikes the mob's instigator dead. From the inferno of the cabin, Tom emerges, witnessing this miraculous deliverance. His conscience ignited, he publicly confesses his culpability, vindicating Lee and his sister's integrity, transforming the bloodthirsty throng into a jubilant assembly. The narrative concludes with Lee, now a believer, embracing Ruth, acknowledging the profound power of faith that transcended his skepticism and saved him from the gallows.
Synopsis
Ephram Judson is an itinerant evangelist. He is always accompanied by his daughter Ruth and his 17-year-old son Tom. They enter a community of devout Christians and hold a series of meetings. On the outskirts of the community lives Hugh Lee, an outcast. His only sister had been burned to death on her wedding day when he renounced the world and his God. Accidentally he meets Ruth Judson, the evangelist's daughter. For the first time since the tragedy, the world looks bright to him. Ruth induces him to attend the Sunday service, but in the midst of it, he pictures his sister's death, and bursts forth into a violent denunciation of religion. The worshippers are shocked and pursue him to the woods. The collection that day was large and the money is given to young Tom Judson to take to the treasurer. Tom has formed the acquaintance with the village sport, who meets him and inveigles him into a game of cards. Tom stakes the church funds and loses. The gambler turns the money over to the village grocer in payment of a bill and the distressed boy, who has witnessed the transaction, sees the grocer hide it. Tom steals the money, but is pursued and slightly wounded by the grocer. He makes his way to the only place of refuge he can think of, the cabin of Hugh Lee, the unbeliever. Tom believes he is dying and pleads for his sister. Lee fetches her at night to the cabin. Meantime the grocer has aroused the community, including the evangelist, to hunt down the thief. The boy is traced to Lee's cabin, which is attacked. Ruth, aroused, as she was from her slumber, is found in the cabin in her night clothes, but she still shields her guilty brother and Lee. The fury of the mob breaks loose, Lee is dragged from his cabin and a noose placed about his neck. Ruth refuses to tell why she was in the cabin, despite the pleadings of Lee to save her honor, and give her brother up to the law. She declares that God will save them all. A storm is raging. Lighting its way with fire-brands, the mob marches Lee to the scene of the revivals after having fired the cabin. The leader of the mob throws the end of the noose over a tree and gives the horse Lee is riding a crack with the whip. Just at that moment a terrific bolt of lightning strikes the limb, severing it from the tree and throwing Lee to the ground. It strikes, too, the mob leader, killing him instantly. Tom, driven from the burning cabin, has followed the mob and arrives on the scene just as the hand of God saves an innocent man. He confesses his guilt, clearing Lee and his sister's honor and changing a frenzied mob into a rejoiceful gathering, the picture closes with Lee acknowledging the power of faith that has saved him and clasping Ruth in his arms.
