A Thousand Acres

After being gone for 13 years, Jess Clark, a neighbor and family friend, returns home to his father, Harold, and brother, Loren. Everyone in town is curious about what Jess has been up to, so Harold throws a pig roast to celebrate his son’s homecoming. Ginny is especially excited to see how Jess navigates discovering everything everyone has been saying about him for the last 13 years.

Ginny’s sister Rose was diagnosed with breast cancer, and, as a result, Ginny has been cooking for her in addition to herself and their father, Larry. Ginny has also been sad because Rose’s daughters, Linda and Pammy, were sent away to boarding school the previous fall. Ginny has no children of her own and has experienced multiple pregnancy losses. She used to be very jealous of Rose’s ability to experience motherhood.

Rose and Ginny go to the pig roast, and Ginny is surprised to see how good Jess looks for his age. Jess comes over to them and catches up with them. Jess reveals he is a vegetarian, something that is very uncommon in the farming community. He has spent the last few years in Vancouver and Seattle.

Ginny sees her husband, Ty, Rose’s husband, Pete, her father, Larry, and her other sister, Caroline, drive up. She was not expecting to see Caroline since she is a lawyer in Des Moines.

As they go to talk with Ty, Pete, Larry, and Caroline, Ginny admits to herself that she has replayed this night multiple times in her head, trying to figure out how she could have done things differently, but she still cannot figure out a solution.

Ginny’s great-grandparents were from England and bought land in Zebulon County without seeing it in person first. When they did see it, they discovered half of it was underwater. They used a new farming technique to drain the land and began planting. From then on, the family continued to “tile” the land, which allows them to draw excess water out while increasing the bounty.

Harold has recently bought a new and expensive tractor, and Larry cannot determine how he could afford it. He realizes he has either taken on debt—something Larry would not do—or is making more money than Larry realized. Harold shows off the tractor at the pig roast.

Larry tells his daughters at the pig roast that he intends to form a corporation and give each of the girls a share of the farm. He wants to do this to avoid his daughters having to pay inheritance taxes when he dies. Both Ginny and Rose think it is a good idea, but Caroline is hesitant. Larry is furious at Caroline’s reluctance to accept farm life and tells her that if she doesn’t accept, he will disinherit her. He leaves the pig roast angrily.

Ginny goes inside Harold’s home to clean up and is scared when Jess comes in unannounced. The two discuss what Larry has proposed, and Ginny says that it is not what her father wants to do, but instead what a banker wants him to do. Jess calms her down and promises to keep her worries between the two of them. Ginny reflects that it might be a good idea to form the corporation because inheritance taxes would require them to sell some of the land. Larry’s land is currently worth about $3 million and is completely paid off.

Ty believes that Marv Carson, the local banker, has put this idea in Larry’s head, while Ginny assumes he is still upset about Harold’s new tractor and wants to flaunt his wealth in response. As the two get ready for bed, they imagine all the changes they could make to the farm if the corporation happens.

Ginny reflects on her relationship with Ty, appreciating that he always talks to her. However, she has kept a secret from him. He believes she has had three pregnancy losses when she has actually had five. He does not want to try to conceive anymore because it makes him too sad when Ginny experiences pregnancy loss. Ginny pretends to be using a diaphragm as birth control when they have sex. Her last pregnancy loss was the day after Thanksgiving, and she buried her bloody sheets and clothing under the floor of an old barn.

When Ginny goes over to Larry’s house the next morning to make him breakfast, he is not there. He eventually drives up with Marv Carson and tells her Marv will be staying for breakfast. Marv eats strangely, eating his food in a certain order to maximize his digestion. He is concerned about the toxins in food, and he makes sure to shed those toxins each day to avoid having anxiety and negative thoughts.

As Marv and Larry eat, Ginny thinks about Rose and Pete. She reveals that the two are very ambitious and have a fraught relationship. Pete was once physically abusive to Rose, breaking her arm.

Marv finishes eating breakfast and tells Larry they can sign the corporation paperwork after church. Larry tells Ginny to get everyone together before dinner. The two men leave to look at the fields.

At church, Ginny encourages Caroline to apologize to Larry, but she refuses to. She tells Ginny she thinks creating the corporation is a bad idea, and her fiancé, Frank, a fellow lawyer, agrees. She reveals that Larry had come up with the idea of creating a corporation only a few days before. Ginny warns that if Caroline does not apologize to Larry, he will cut her out of the will. Caroline promises to think about accepting Larry’s proposal and coming to the signing.

After church, everyone goes over to Larry’s house to sign the paperwork. They discuss the various changes the younger generation intends to make to the farm. They wait for Caroline to arrive before signing the paperwork. Caroline starts heading to the house, and Ginny opens the door for her. However, Larry pushes past Ginny to slam the door in Caroline’s face. When the rest of the family finishes signing the papers, Ginny realizes that Caroline’s car is gone.