Desire in the Dust

Lonnie Wilson, a sharecropper's son, returns to his small southern hometown after serving six years in prison for a car accident that killed Colonel Ben Marquand's son. He rekindles his romance with Melinda Marquand, who is now married to Dr. Ned Thomas and is unaware that Lonnie was wrongly accused of the crime. As Lonnie's feelings for Melinda resurface, he becomes jealous of her marriage and confronts Dr. Thomas, leading to a confrontation at Colonel Marquand's hunting lodge. When Dr. Thomas catches Lonnie and Melinda together, Melinda shoots and wounds Lonnie, claiming she was being raped. Colonel Marquand, who had bribed Lonnie to take the blame, uses Melinda's story to try and have Sheriff Wheaton kill Lonnie, setting off a chain of events that will ultimately lead to a dramatic conclusion.