In the small Texas oil town of Tarl, disquiet bubbles up like black gold from a dark underground reserve, while out in the rough countryside, Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford), an escaped convict, is making his way through the brush toward home. The rumors of his return set in motion all manner of vicious gossip in a town already heaped in hanky-panky. After all, it’s a hot summer night and the oil-rich residents are pumping their appetites. Only Sheriff Calder (Marlon Brando at his bruised best) is immune to the drunken revelry that has overtaken his domain.