Marianne Timmons yearns to escape her father, an insane widower and leader of a snake-handling church. When her younger sister comes of age, forced to participate in the deadly test of purity and faith, it's time to bid a terrified goodbye to their Georgia mountain home.

Doing his best to care for his mother, Caleb Sentinel delivers moonshine to city folk. Skirting the law is the only entanglement this easygoing bachelor is willing to risk. Yet as Marianne and her sister are pursued by their enraged father, they run smack in front of Caleb's souped-up Packard.

All Marianne wants is a ride to her aunt's house in Virginia. By the end of their journey, all Caleb wants is forever...