Based on the novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, this drama focuses on the family of Civil War veteran Penny Baxter (Gregory Peck), who lives and works on a farm in Florida with his wife, Orry (Jane Wyman), and their son, Jody (Claude Jarman Jr.). The only surviving child of the family, Jody longs for companionship and unexpectedly finds it in the form of an orphaned fawn. While Penny is supportive of his son's four-legged friend, Orry is not, leading to heartbreaking conflict.