Jesup Boyle, a fifth generation West Virginia coal miner along with three other coal miners; Jarvis Kincaid, Jack Roberts, and Casey Philips are the only sole survivors of a coal mining disaster brought on by a methane explosion resulting in a cave-in. The four surviving miners are now TRAPPED.
A rescue operation is immediately underway, spearheaded by the wealthy CEO of LACEY INDUSTRIAL, PATRICK LACEY, the owner of the BIG BRANCH MINE. LACEY’S company manages to set up a communication system between the trapped miners and LACEY’S team. PATRICK LACEY feels guilty that he and his company may have been responsible for the disaster due to the many citations and neglected violations, has decided to make an offer to the four trapped miners a million dollars once they are rescued.
Meanwhile, family and friends are gathered at the home of LORETTA BOYLE, wife of JESUP BOYLE for a prayer vigil, headed by the very stoic and pious matriarch of the family, RUTH BOYLE. Throughout, Ruth Boyle will sing the praises of her brave son Jesup, always referring to him as “the Golden Boy.” As far as anyone is concerned, who is even remotely connected to Jesup Boyle, he is beyond reproach; as if he “walked on water.” Which is in sharp contrast to the youngest son CALEB BOYLE, who is, according to the mother, Ruth, a reprobate, “a no-count, thievin’ drug addict who skipped town to be a wanna-be rock star.” Much to Ruth’s surprise, her otherwise withdrawn daughter in-law, Loretta, comes to Caleb’s defense, saying that he was really misunderstood, that he wasn’t all those things that he was accused of, that he just wanted to be a folksinger and try and find himself. Ruth wasn’t buying any of it. She had made up her mind that he was nothing more than a hardened criminal, unlike her “real son,” Jesup who was righteous and could do no wrong.
Hearing the news of the mine disaster, Caleb, “the bad seed”, finally, after so many years, decides with great trepidation and fear to come home. His two most compelling reasons: The love for his brother who was always the ultimate role model in his life and biggest hero and a much deeper love he had for Loretta.
Both, Loretta and Caleb when they were only teenagers, were the ultimate soul mates due largely to their passion for music; he a guitar prodigy and Loretta with a voice that was “a gift from God.” The recognition of the gift that they gave to each other formed an indelible bond until Caleb’s brother Jesup burst upon their world and overpowered Loretta to where “he simply wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Caleb stays with Loretta until Jesup is rescued, but undercover from his mother Ruth who will make sure that he would be run out of town if he is ever discovered. In the interim they both relive music that they once so loved to play together in their youth and in doing so, they also rekindle their romance to full blown passion.
Loretta is reborn through a love that she thought was long lost. She then receives a call that there is a “second” explosion and that all four miners are now dead including her husband Jesup. There is a memorial service. Loretta, asked to speak of her husband at the service, and is rendered literally speechless. An announcement is made that the bodies will be retrieved for “a proper burial.”
That evening, Caleb and Loretta are alone together. Caleb is despondent and laments over his brother’s death and tells Loretta what a great brother and role model he was, where by Loretta explodes and reveals to Caleb the awful, ugly truth about his brother, revealing a deep dark secret who he “really” was; “that he was really insane, that he would bring to their home these so called “heroes”, JARVIS KINCAID, JACK ROBERTS, and CASEY PHILIPS, the very three miners who just died’ heroically’ in the mine and these very same men would gang rape her in front of her ‘heroic’ husband and then he would take his turn.” In hearing this, Caleb’s whole world disintegrates. In a state of horror, he finds himself disoriented, confused and abandons Loretta to try to make sense of it all.
It is discovered later, in the mission to retrieve the bodies of the miners. Jesup Boyle is found still alive. He arrives home from the hospital to become a media star and given a great fanfare from the local community as well as a welcome home party for their” Conquering Hero” not knowing that inside their hero lies a monster.