James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck - in the muddy, stagnant swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John Appleseed so they can cultivate the 50 apple trees required to stake their claim. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge from brutal frontier life.