Isolated on a farm with her bitter parents (Fay Bainter, Henry Hull), a young woman (Ida Lupino) is lonely. When a crew of convicts arrive to build a road, she is fascinated by the strangers. In particularly, a good looking hothead (Dane Clark) with a propensity for violence. Based on the novel by Dan Totheron and directed by Jean Negulesco (JOHNNY BELINDA). Pretty much a dud! Seeped in tedium, nothing goes right except maybe a couple of the performances (Bainter and Hull). Lupino is miscast as the bumpkin and while Clark is okay, his character is off putting and it takes a stretch of believability that this quiet sensitive girl would be attracted to such a brute. Yet somehow the filmmakers expect us to be touched by their relationship. No, thank you! There are echoes of HIGH SIERRA (1941) (which also starred Lupino), a much superior movie, especially in the finale. With Wayne Morris and Willard Robertson.
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