Discharged from the Navy with a duffle bag and service rifle in hand, Elvis (Gael Garcia Bernal) sets out for the town of Corpus Christi, Texas to track down the father he has never met. He soon learns that his father, David Sandow (William Hurt) is now the pastor of a thriving Baptist Church and wants nothing to do with Elvis, who is a shameful reminder of his own sinful past and a long-kept secret from his now legitimate family - beautiful Christian wife, Twyla (Laura Harring), upstanding son, Paul (Paul Dano), and his dreamy daughter, Malerie (Pell James).

David orders his family to stay away from this handsome stranger, but Elvis has already befriended the sheltered and lonely Malerie who has no idea of their blood connection. As their forbidden relationship becomes more intense, Elvis begins to slowly infiltrate his father's family, setting the stage for an explosion of violence and tragedy that reaches Biblical proportions.