In 1970, one of Mississippi's more colourful weekly newspapers, 'The Ford County Times', went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23-year old college drop out, Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgitt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details and his newspaper began to prosper.