 Bob Rickman is a evil tycoon who intends to build a very pollutant plant in Smallville, and he needs to buy Jonathan Kent s farm. Rickman is famous because of his capacity of convincing people, but indeed he has a powerful gift of changing people s mind with his shake of hands, and he uses his new kryptonite power of persuasion against Jonathan. Meanwhile, the eremite Kyle Tippet, who was the former business partner of Rickman, helps Clark and Lex against the powerful and greedy industrialist. But Clark s quick kinship with Kyle causes a riff between him, Lana and Whitney who both despite the mysterous hermit.