Henry Tawes, a middle-aged sheriff in a rural Tennessee town, is usually the first man to criticize others for their bad behavior. Miserable in his marriage, Henry falls in love with teenage seductress Alma, who is the daughter of local criminal and moonshiner Carl McCain. Henry's moral character comes further into question when he is tempted to conceal Carl's crimes in order to prolong his relationship with Alma.
| Writing | Alvin Sargent | Writer |
| Directing | John Frankenheimer | Director |
| Writing | Madison Jones | Novel |
| Costume & Make-Up | Jack Petty | Makeup Artist |
| Art | Marvin March | Set Decoration |
| Costume & Make-Up | Lewis Brown | Costume Design |
| Costume & Make-Up | Frank Prehoda | Makeup Artist |
| Production | Edward Lewis | Executive Producer |
| Sound | Arthur Piantadosi | Sound |
| Crew | Buddy Van Horn | Stunts |
| Production | Harold D. Cohen | Producer |
| Sound | Johnny Cash | Music |
| Sound | Tom Overton | Sound |
| Costume & Make-Up | Ben Lane | Makeup Department Head |
| Crew | Anthony Bavero | Property Master |
| Editing | Henry Berman | Editor |
| Art | Albert Brenner | Art Direction |
| Camera | David M. Walsh | Director of Photography |
| Directing | Philip L. Parslow | Assistant Director |
| Production | Howard Pine | Production Supervisor |
| Editing | Harold F. Kress | Supervising Film Editor |
