1950s, North Carolina. Martha 'Sonny' Creech, her two brothers, and her parents work hard on their cotton farm, but only Sonny loves the rich, dark earth the way her father does. When a tragic accident claims his life, her stricken family struggles to fend off ruin. When Frank Fowler, their rich, reclusive neighbor, offers to help finance that year's cotton crop, Sonny is sure the man has ulterior motives. Her own talent for divining water won't be enough to offset Fowler's influence in her world. A reckoning is coming, bringing with it heartache, violence-- and perhaps a measure of justice.