In 1934, widower Wayland Jackson and his daughter, Paula, drive to Kentucky when their car gets stuck fording a river. Seeing smoke, they follow it to a cabin. There are greeted by a shotgun-toting Collie Wright, who reluctantly allows them inside to get warm. Inside, Collie picks up her baby, Jonathan, and surprises Wayland by calling herself a “Miss.” Paula warns Wayland not to pry. Wayland explains he is a clockmaker looking for work. Unable to move the car, Wayland and Paula sleep in a small rock house behind Collie’s cabin, where Paula is distressed to find the “bed” is a bin full off old cornhusks. The next morning, Wayland, Paula, and Collie find the truck being vandalized by the Campbells, a family of mean-spirited hill people, who then tip it over into the river. When Paula screams for them to stop, one of the Campbells fires a warning shot at her feet. Collie yells at Drury Campbell, the patriarch of the family, calling him a thief. Even though she is carrying Jonathan, Drury’s son, Harmon Campbell snaps a whip about her neck and yanks them both into the river. Wayland leaps in after them as the Campbells ride away. When Paula berates her father for not doing anything, he explains he cannot afford to take risks, as he is all Paula has left. That night, Wayland learns Collie’s mother has disowned her, but her brothers keep her stocked in canned goods and firewood. Gudger Wright, Collie’s brother comes calling, but stops when he hears a male’s voice in the cabin and slinks away. The next morning, Collie visits Gudger at his general store and berates him for sneaking around her cabin. She admits she has a man and his daughter visiting her, but refuses to elaborate. However, she tells her father, William Wright, all about Wayland’s truck being destroyed by the Campbells and asks William to let Wayland fix clocks at the store. William accuses Collie of always dragging trouble to his doorstep. Wayland arrives and notices the local church does not have a steeple, and proposes to build one with a clock in it. As they discuss the idea, William Wright’s other son, Milton, the town blacksmith, arrives and gets excited about helping build a clock. They go to William’s house for coffee, where Gudger and Collie’s mother, Annie, voice their disapproval. The impasse is broken when Young, William Wright’s youngest son, arrives and suggests they build a bell tower instead with a clock that has a mechanical bear strike the hour. Later, William explains how Drury Campbell’s father set fire to his elderly father’s house and burned the man to death. Since then, there has been a feud between the families. When he discovers Wayland is living in the old rock house, he tells him it is unsafe. However, Collie tells Wayland that Young is “just being Young.” Days later, Wayland is laying stones for the tower, when Gudger tries to goad him into hunting bear with the Wright men. Wayland refuses because he knows nothing of guns and is unwilling to learn. However, Wayland changes his mind after Paula and Collie tell him to not to go hunting. Before leaving, Wayland presents Collie with a homemade clock. That night, Cole Campbell kicks in Collie’s door and lifts her into the air. When he sees Paula, he grabs the girl and threatens to slit her tongue if she ever tells anyone she saw him. After asking Jonathan to kiss his “Daddy,” Cole leaves. Collie scoops both children into her arms and assures them that everything will be alright. During the hunt, Young’s dogs corner the bear. Fearing for his dogs' safety, Young races down a rocky ledge, loses his footing, falls in front of the bear, and drops his rifle. As the bear charges, Young empties a revolver into the beast, but it keeps coming. Unable to figure how to use his rifle. Wayland jumps on the bear’s back and shoots it point blank with his pistol just as Gudger appears and fires his rifle. The bear drops dead and Gudger claims the kill. Young objects, and they fight barehanded until Wayland fires his pistol into the air and tells them to stop. Wearing the bearskin, Wayland returns to the cabin. In her excitement, Collie kisses him. When she pulls back due to the bear smell, Wayland leaps into the freezing river, declaring he is Norwegian and used to cut holes in the ice to bathe. That night, Wayland tells Collie his wife committed suicide after a long illness by drowning herself in the ocean. Collie kisses him, but pulls back when their kissing becomes passionate. As autumn turns to winter, Collie takes Wayland to see a waterfall and reveals that Jonathan’s father is Young’s best friend. Still refusing to name names, Collie confesses her love for Wayland and asks if he minds that she is not a virgin. When he tells her “no,” they embrace. A few nights later, Cole Campbell rides in yelling for Collie. Although she tells him she no longer loves him, Cole attempt to force himself on her. They are interrupted by knocking. Cole throws open the door to find Wayland in his nightshirt and boots. Although Cole shoves a shotgun in Wayland’s face, he refuses to be intimidated. Cole shoots the clock off the wall, and Wayland berates Cole for destroying something he cannot make. Confused, Cole sits down and guzzles whiskey as Wayland explains he wants to marry Collie and raise Jonathan. Cole goes berserk, beats Wayland, and hurls him outside in the snow. He tries to rape Collie, but loses his nerve. Instead, he runs outside where Wayland waits with a stick. Cole easily disarms him and beats him to a pulp. However, Wayland head butts Cole, sending him into the river. Shocked by the frozen water, Cole is unable to defend himself as Wayland leaps on him and holds his head underwater. Realizing he is drowning the man, Wayland pulls him to the bank and pumps the water out of Cole’s lungs. Collie helps Wayland put the frozen Cole onto his horse. Not wanting anyone to see him, Collie tells Wayland to guide the horse to the woods instead of the road. Gudger is raccoon hunting when he discovers Cole in the stream unable to move with his foot caught in his stirrup. Gudger forces Cole to confess he impregnated Collie. When Cole refuses to marry her, Gudger allows the horse to drag Cole down the river. In the morning, the horse returns to Collie’s cabin hauling Cole’s dead body behind him. Later, Drury Campbell and his clan arrive to collect the body. He asks why Cole’s horse rode to Collie’s. When he sees Wayland’s bruised face, Drury demands to look around. Later, Gudger tells William and Annie that Cole is Jonathan’s father. As William ponders what to do, his sons, Wayland, Collie, Paula and Jonathan arrive. He tells them Drury sent a letter which stated he knew Wayland fought with Cole, and Gudger was out all night. Therefore, one of them killed Cole. William declares they must exile whoever killed Cole or the Campbells will slaughter someone to even the score. William asks Gudger if Cole was dead when he found him in the river. Gudger denies seeing the man, then confesses he let Cole drown. Young volunteers to leave, but Wayland and Collie admit that even though Cole was alive when he left, they had sent the horse into the woods knowing Cole could freeze to death.William decrees Wayland and Paula must go. However, Collie must stay as the Campbells would soon realize Jonathan is Cole’s son and would hunt them down. The next day, Collie takes Jonathan to the Campbells’ and begs Drury not to seek vengeance against Wayland or her family. After declaring Cole as the father, she lays Jonathan on Drury’s lap and offers to let the old man raise him until Drury dies in exchange for her part in Cole’s death. Drury accepts. Returning to her father’s house, Collie explains the deal, then falls to the floor wailing before becoming comatose. She remains that way for weeks until Wayland makes her a tiny desk clock that plays music. She awakens to find Wayland by her bed and tells him she loves him. As spring nears, Wayland rides to the Campbells' property to ask Drury to allow Jonathan to come to his and Collie’s wedding at Easter. When Drury blames Wayland for Cole’s death, Wayland declares it was Cole’s fear of his father’s displeasure that killed him. If he was not afraid of Drury, Cole would have married Collie and still be alive. Another of Drury’s boys shoots Wayland in the shoulder and he staggers home. Easter arrives and before the wedding, Wayland starts the bell tower clock. The crowd cheers as a mechanical black bear comes out and strikes noon. They fall silent when they see Drury riding toward them carrying Jonathan. As Drury places the baby into Collie’s arms, he nods to Wayland, who smiles back.