a sweet natured young mountain man with a sad past ( henry thomas ) come upon an abandon baby girl in the wood and instantly fall in love with her . the town elder generally support him in keep the child and though a local temptress ( cara seymour ) think little of the new family . a determined little girl on a long walk and a sinister travel salesman ( david strathairn at his creepiest ) have parallel story which converge in a fateful way . this be a charming slice of life in the ozarks in the same vein a where the lillie bloom and the dollmaker . all three be shoot on location in those beautiful hill and cover the life of simple living but not simple minded american folk . a minimum of strong language and brief but point violence make this fairly safe family viewing .