Returning from World War I, Sergeant James Allen decides to go into construction work to build something positive after the destruction of the war. There are not enough jobs, however, and soon he unsuccessfully tries to pawn his war medals. By accident, Jim gets involved in a robbery in which the actual thief is killed, and he gets sentenced to ten years in a Southern chain gang. Brutal conditions drive him to attempt an escape, but the outside world further complicates his life.