Earl Pilcher Jr. runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth; plus, he has a half brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.
Robert Duvall
as Earl Pilcher Jr.
James Earl Jones
as Ray Murdock
Michael Beach
as Virgil
Irma P. Hall
as Aunt T.
Grace Zabriskie
as Ruby
Regina Taylor
as Ann
David Keith
as Sonny
Jacqueline Williams
as Woman at Hospital
Mary Jackson
as Carrie
Paula Marshall
as Karen
Phillip Edward Van Lear
as Club Manager
Meg Thalken
as Doctor
