The new teacher is brutally terrorized by the pupils and becomes the laughingstock of town. Then dramatic events occur which give him a chance for redemption.
A carpenter who specializes in building outhouses becomes successful, but then things take a turn for the worse when his name becomes synonymous with "toilet".
A candidate for Congress visits Mr. Bowman at his farm to ask for his vote. In reply, Mr. Bowman recites the title poem. It tells the story of his son, Bill, who answered his country's call to war. When Bill went to fight, he was a whole person, but he returned wounded in body, mind, and spirit.
