Hud Bannon (Paul Newman) cares about little else besides drinking and women. His worldview is steeped in cynicism: “Keep the sinners away from the saints.” Nevertheless, his carefree attitude fascinates his 17-year-old nephew, Lonnie (de Wilde). However, Hada’s father can’t stand him, and the housekeeper, Alma, rejects his advances. Hada wants to drill oil wells on his father’s land, but the old man refuses to make money at the expense of destroying his land and livestock.