Narrated by a 95-year-old Christmas Moultrie (Ejiofor) as he recalls his friendship long ago with Ward Allen (Caviezel) in Savannah, Georgia back in the early 20th century. Ward was born into privilege in the mid-1800s but settled for a life of duck hunting, which found him in front of Judge Harden (Holbrook) often. He was also found quite drunk, a point of tension with his wife, Lucy (Alexander) who married him to spite her father (Shepard) who wanted her to marry Sir Graham (McBrayer). Their marriage is later tested by his hard-drinking ways, his devotion to his hunting, and her breakdown after a stillbirth.