Thomas Crimmins is a new warder, or guard, in an Irish prison. He is young, naive, and idealistic, determined to serve his country by his part in meting out justice to criminals. His superior, Regan, however, realizes that even prisoners are human beings, and Regan is sick of the eye-for-an-eye attitude that leads the state to execute condemned men, or "quare fellows." Crimmins begins to see that not all is black and white in his new world, and when he becomes involved with Kathleen, the wife of one of the condemned men, his attitude begins to change. When new evidence arises to suggest that Kathleen's husband may not deserve his fate, Crimmins is torn between his duty and his humanity.

The biggest town problem is worrying whether the high school basketball team will win the championship...until racketeers move into town and the kids begin to bet on horses, become overly fond of stripped-down racing cars, and Genevieve Rogers (Jean Porter) suspects her father of being too fond of the school principal's secretary. Town nerd Bill Kennedy (Jimmy Lydon) invents a new fuel amidst rumors that - horrors - the basketball game might be fixed. River City is not the only town that has trouble starting with a "T" and there's not a pool hall in sight.