The setting is early America during the oil boom. An elderly, down on his luck 'oil man', Mr. Cox finds himself in the town of Henrietta. Using unconventional methods, he convinces himself and local Don Day that there is oil on Day's land. The financially strapped Day puts everything into finding oil...but at what cost?

Mary meets Paul, marries Paul and when Paul is murdered becomes the number one suspect. While the police are preparing their case against her she begins her own investigation which takes her to the seedy parts of town and begins to expose her husbands very secret double life.