Chain gang prisoners forced to construct a "liberty highway" for their overseer chasten under his brutal stewardship, causing Duke Ellis to mastermind a mass riot.
Plot keywords (from IMDb): african american, attitude adjustment, bare feet, bigamy, blind man, brother, brother brother relationship, brutality, bullwhip, chain gang, church choir, cigarette smoking, contractor, deception, depravity, dog, expose, extradition, fire, foot torture, fortune teller, gospel music, governor, gun, gunfire, homosexual subtext, hypocrisy, infidelity, interrupted whipping, lashing, miserable chain gang conditions, mother son relationship, murder, mute, politician, politics, prayer, pre code film, prison, prison escape, prison guard, prison reform, racism, religion, road construction, road gang, sadism, self sacrifice, shackles, sign language, singer, singing, song, southern u.s., state governor, state prison, sweat, sweat box, violence, violin, visitor's center, whip lash, whipping, work crew, kid brother