In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.

A reporter and a police detective sort through the clues in a night-club owner's murder.

The transition from horses to automobiles at the turn of the century causes problems between a father and son.