Byron Turner, a 15-year-old runaway from the Eatondale Orphan Asylum, receives a ride into the rural Missouri town of Delphi with rich land-owner Tobias Brown.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Brandon De WildeByron Turner | Byron Turner |
 Lee MarvinTobias Brown | Tobias Brown |
 Gary MerrillDoyle Magee | Doyle Magee |
 Paul FordFinas Daugherty | Finas Daugherty |
| MMary HosfordAnne Love Price | Anne Love Price |
 Ken CurtisFred Mueller | Fred Mueller |
 Frank CadyWillie Poole | Willie Poole |
| CCal TinneyClyde Hamilton, the baker | Clyde Hamilton, the baker |
| MMary FieldNelda Hamilton | Nelda Hamilton |
 Kathleen FreemanSerena Poole | Serena Poole |
 Will WrightSheriff Marvin Peavy | Sheriff Marvin Peavy |
| BBarry CurtisJimmy Price | Jimmy Price |
 Eddie Little SkyRed Poole | Red Poole |
| TTom TinerRev. Thorndyke | Rev. Thorndyke |
 William BryantHenry Craig | Henry Craig |
| EEddie LittleRobert 'Red' Poole | Robert 'Red' Poole |
| RRodney BellHerb Davis | Herb Davis |
 Helen BrownHattie Neely | Hattie Neely |
 William NewellPos Neely | Pos Neely |
 Roy JensonSimpson | Simpson |
 Earle HodginsOld Sharecropper | Old Sharecropper |