In 1902, 13-year-old Horace toils on a run-down plantation in rural Texas to buy a tombstone for the father he lost a year earlier. Soll, the crusty old Confederate who owns the plantation and depends on convict labor to keep his farm running, takes a liking to Horace. However, Soll is aging and sinking into senility, making the possibility of Horace ever getting his pay increasingly unlikely. On Christmas Eve, as Soll becomes obsessed with his own mortality, he makes a grand promise... forcing Horace to confront his fear of death and the harsh truths of a decadent society.

Genres

Cast

Robert Duvall

Soll Gautier

Lukas Haas

Horace Robedaux

James Earl Jones

Ben Johnson

Starletta DuPois

Martha Johnson

Carlin Glynn

Asa

Calvin Levels

Leroy

Gary Swanson

Billy