Ken Keeler, a lawyer in the small town of Fairview, learns that children from "The Patch", a run-down migrant camp outside of town, will be attending the town's school. Not long afterwards a migrant family, the Ashbys, is driving through Fairview when their old junker of a car breaks down in front of the Keeler home. As Mr. Ashby works on the car, his young son Nathaniel talks to Ken's young son Kenny and they strike up a friendship. Meanwhile, a town meeting called to deal with the "problem" of the migrant children attending school in town results in many residents loudly and heatedly opposing the idea, fearing that it will negatively affect the town's health and morals. Ken is appointed to come up with a solution, but it turns out to be a lot harder than he thought--especially when his daughter Sallie excoriates the townspeople for their "un-Christian" attitudes and hypocrisy, causing ill feelings all around.