Father Parker discovers a sick boy on the trail, and sees this as a sign that he was to help him, but the boy dies before Fr. Parker can get him to a doctor. This, along with the feeling that he is making no difference in the world, causes a crisis in faith. He decides to stop practicing his faith and to stop being a priest. He takes a job in Jackson to earn enough money to return to Pennsylvania. While working in the saloon, he starts to touch the lives of people, especially a barmaid and a drunk, and starts to realize that he does matter, that he does make a difference.