 Rickie Wilson, a young circular delivery boy, witnesses a fatal beating by a local slumlord, Sonny Roper. Det/Lt Lonnie Jamison and Sgt Luanne Corbin investigate, but the incident is in county territory under Sheriff Will McComb s jurisdiction. Ricky eludes Lonnie and Luanne and flees the scene, and McComb is incensed, escalating the bad blood between the sheriff s office and the Sparta police. When Roper serves an eviction notice on a young widow, Sarah Hallisey, Harriet DeLong gets involved, against the strong advice of Chief Bill Gillespie.