Sissy Spacek was directed by her husband Jack Fisk in 1981's Raggedy Man. Spacek plays a divorced mother of two who tries to go it alone in mid-1940s Texas. Shunned by the "respectable" townsfolk because of her marital breakup, Spacek must endure the unwanted attentions of every low-life man in the community. Enter Eric Roberts, a young sailor who becomes both friend and protector to Spacek and her sons. Once Roberts is called to active duty, however, Spacek is supposedly left at the mercy of the menacing "raggedy man"-a scuzzy ragpicker, played by Sam Shepard, whose intentions aren't what they seem. Leisurely paced for most of its running time, Raggedy Man takes a disturbing violent turn in its last half hour. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

一场暴风雨的来袭让吉尔（山姆·夏普德 Sam Shepard 饰）一家人陷入了困境之中，他们都是看天吃饭的农民，再加上国家农业政策的限制和剥削，想要靠着卖庄稼养活一大家子人显然成为了奢望。
一张贷款清算名单事态推向了更为糟糕的境地，因为无法盈利，农资会决定停止发放给吉尔经营农场的贷款，这也就意味着，吉尔将彻底的失去经济来源。巨大的生活压力之下，吉尔的脾气开始变得越来越暴躁，甚至将怒火发泄到了年幼的儿子卡利斯尔（Levi L. Knebel 饰）身上。吉尔的妻子朱维尔（杰西卡·兰格 Jessica Lange 饰）在愤怒之中将吉尔赶出了家门，之后，她开始联合街坊邻居，凭借着勤劳和智慧走上了一条漫漫维权路。