Young Johnny Fletcher arrives in Barryfield to take up his new ministry after the war, bringing with him a group of five orphaned refugee children whom he adopted while an Army chaplain in Europe in the hope of winning them back to a meaningful life by understanding and love. Although Johnny gradually rebuilds a sense of security for these children and wins the confidence of some of Barryfield's inhabitants, he still faces the apathy and hostility of much of his congregation and, eventually, a mob that tries to drive him from the town.