Elmer Jackson, a carpenter in a small Californian town in the 1930s, struggles to bring up his 4 young boys after the death of his wife. He is horrified when the government (citing trumped-up charges of parental neglect) places the boys into various foster homes and institutions, unaware of the abuse that boys would then be subjected to. The conditions imposed by the court and the difficulties caused by the Depression make Elmer's determined and vigorous quest to find his boys extremely difficult. His second wife helps him to regain custody.