When Esme Crabb steps into the Vader general store one day in 1888, she wants just one thing - the storekeeper - and she has only one way to ensnare him: with the longest legs in all Tennessee. Esme is determined to wed a rich man to save her featherbrained sisters and worthless pa from a life of poverty, and Cleavis Rhy fits the bill perfectly.

Handsome, citified Cleave doesn't intend to marry any hill girl, but Esme sees the desire in his eyes - and a gift of garters, intended to stop Esme's constant, tempting adjustment of her stockings, is his downfall. When the shocking news tht Cleav gave Esme such an intimate gift gets around town, she becomes Mrs. Cleavis Rhy with breathtaking speed. Esme is surprised by the rapturous heights of their lovemaking, and she falls more and more in love with her new husband. But Cleav believes she married him only for his money - and to change his mind, she must now win his heart.