Hymn

A young mother dies of alcoholism, leaving her 5-year-old son, Freddie, alone in Dayton, Ohio. The boy's father is missing and presumed dead. Forty-year-old Miss Hester Prime, who feels it is her "duty" to raise the boy in a God-fearing home, adopts Freddie. Eliphalet Hodges, the love interest of Miss Hester in her youth, decides to help her raise the child. As Fred grows, he comes to resent his ultra-strict upbringing. Even playing baseball is considered shameful and a frivolous waste of time. At 17, Fred saves the preacher's daughter from drowning. Miss Hester and Pastor Simpson decide that Fred should become a preacher himself and eventually replace Simpson in the church. Fred, however, does not feel called by God to preach and wants to pursue a business career. Finally, Fred gives in to Miss Hester, feeling he owes her for taking him in when he was a child. Fred graduates from the Bible seminary, and Pastor Simpson immediately announces his retirement, endorsing Fred as his replacement. Fred is trapped. Once again, he decides to do what will please Miss Hester and reluctantly accepts the position. Shortly after his ordination, Pastor Simpson tells Fred about a young girl in town who has gotten in trouble and run away. Simpson, who has stayed on to assist in the church, tells Fred that he must hold the girl up as an example of sin. Fred will have none of it. Simpson implies that Fred has his own reasons for not wanting to exploit the girl's predicament and threatens to reveal to the congregation that Fred is the one who got the girl into trouble. All of Fred's repressed anger and resentment pour out in a sermon that devastates Miss Hester, Eliphalet, and the congregation. Fred leaves the church and the town, moving to nearby Cincinnati. One night in Cincinnati, Fred meets Tom, an older man who discourages Fred from entering a tavern and convinces him to attend a temperance meeting. At the meeting, Fred realizes that Tom is his long-lost father, who is dying of alcoholism. Not knowing that Fred is his son, Tom returns to his hometown of Dayton to ask his son's forgiveness before he dies. Eliphalet sends Fred a telegram asking him to come home. Fred returns to Dayton and ultimately forgives his father. After Tom’s death, Fred returns to Cincinnati and begins building a new life. He gets a job in an office, falls in love with a lovely young co-worker, and invites Miss Hester and Eliphalet to his wedding.