In the Mississippi Delta 1926, mail-order bride Mattie Mills is delivered from the hands of her abusive stepfather to those of small-town Jexville's local barber, a man whose vices are barely tolerated by the hypocritical townspeople. Mattie finds solace in JoHanna, who has chosen to defy the town's conventions and face its dishonesty head on. JoHanna's safety comes through her marriage to Will, a handsome, well-respected when Duncan, JoHanna's daughter, miraculously survives a strike by lightning. The experience leaves her with the ability to foretell the future, convincing the townsfolk that the sins of the mother have been visited on the daughter, who wears the mark of Satan. All those who are in JoHanna's circle are prey to the wrath of the self-righteous town, and Mattie finds herself caught in a whirlwind of violence and revenge.