Things are not going well in the Depression-era town of Castle Gate. Mr. Ribaldi, a mysterious rich man with a disfigured face and an abrasive personality, has just bought and moved into a long-vacant mansion. Bonnie, an adolescent girl who loves to sing, ends up working for him so that her family can stay in their house. But Ribaldi is quite an accomplished musician himself, and he is soon giving Bonnie voice lessons. Meanwhile, foreclosures are shutting down local businesses, and the townspeople suspect that Ribaldi is responsible.