Hidden Places

It's the Great Depression in citrus orchard country of California. Already struggling following the death of her husband five years ago, Eliza Wyatt is having even more trouble maintaining the Wyatt family orange orchard when her brusque father-in-law, Frank Wyatt, has a heart attack and also passes. On Frank's request, Eliza had already pulled her two adolescent children, Becky and Luke, from school for the harvest season, their only other support being Frank's sister, Aunt Batty, who recently moved back to the homestead. Now out of his hands, Mr. Wakefield, the local banker who truly likes the Wyatts, has no other option but to give 30 days' notice to call in the mortgage, which includes Frank's debt, before beginning foreclosure procedures, it not enough time for the four of them alone to complete the harvest and sell this year's crop to pay off what they owe. Into their midst comes a drifter, Gabe Harper, who, based on the fact of Sheriff Doggins' seeing that he is a decent man, being a war veteran, comes to work on the farm, negotiated by Aunt Batty, solely for room and board. Despite Gabe's soiled clothes, they can all see that beyond being a hard worker, he is polite, well-mannered, and well-read, atypical for a drifter. Eliza is the one who has troubles warming up to him solely in the fact of he being a stranger, one who seems reluctant to divulge much about himself in looking like he is running away from something. As Gabe does become ensconced in most facets of the Wyatts' lives, that past will have a role in what happens between him and the family, especially Eliza, as they struggle to meet the 30-day deadline.