After minister Sam Whitehead (Andy Griffith) moves to his new post in a small Kansas town, he finds that the place is in total gridlock because of a feud between the families of Mayor Will Sinclair (Henry Jones) and his rival Axel Gresham (Edgar Buchanan). Meanwhile, Sam's reckless brother-in-law, Bubba (Jerry Van Dyke), turns the church boiler into an alcohol still. Sam is ready to quit when his friend Art (Gary Collins) decides to enter politics in order to change the town for the better.