Stable hand Jim Kinny can’t hear but does that make him less of a man? Jim would say a resounding no if he could talk, but being deaf has robbed him of both his hearing and the ability to speak. Still, he gets by in his sorry life doing odd jobs and working for people who he’s come to trust, even if they exploit his labor knowing he has no other alternatives. But it doesn’t lessen the bullying he’s subject to by drunken louts who have nothing better to do than pick on him.

When Catherine Johnson, the new schoolteacher, witnesses Jim being tied behind a horse by a bunch of inebriated hoodlums and then dragged down the main street, she can hardly believe no one in the small town of Broughton has run to save him. So she does, spooking the horse so he dumps his cad of a rider and putting herself in harms way. Finally the townsmen collar the no-good cretins and she helps tend to Jim’s wounds.

She’d never given much consideration to Jim, but seeing him so cruelly used and looking into a pair of intelligent eyes, she vows she will help the man communicate, sensing there is much worth “hearing” from Jim and much Jim is hungry to learn. Never did she dream that she would be drawn to this man in other ways, ways that make her both uncomfortable and needy. But she would have much to lose to act on her impulses.

Jim has never had the luxury of thinking about a woman in the way he’s been thinking about Catherine. It’s always been too out of the question. As he learns how to communicate more and more of himself and to “hear” more about her, he can’t stop falling for this smart and independent woman. But what would he have to offer such a one as Catherine, who hails from a well-off and educated White Plains, New York family. Not only does he have a disability and lacks education, but he’s also about as low on the ladder of success as he could be, owning nothing and with no prospects. And even if he could offer more, Catherine’s already made it clear that she couldn’t consider him given her position in the community, despite her stolen kisses saying otherwise.

When an opportunity comes along to make more money working for the man who’s been buying up the town, Jim’s inclined to take it and at least try to raise himself up in her eyes, even if he suspects that man is up to no-good. The man knows Jim wouldn’t be able to tell anything he’s seen. Besides, ethics are a luxury for well-off people, not someone whose trying to eke out a living and maybe earn enough to buy the livery where he works so he might be worthy of Catherine. However, even money may not be enough if Catherine can’t see him as a whole and capable man.

When things take a turn for the worst in the town, Jim may have the opportunity to prove himself to her. But does Catherine have the courage to acknowledge her feelings for him and stand up to the prejudices of others given she’s at the mercy of the community for her livelihood?