Bayou and Leanne were teenagers when they met and fell in love. They'd wanted to run away together, but before that could happen, Leanne was taken away by her mother to Boston. Bayou spends years writing to her, but none of his letters reach Leanne. Eventually, however, they meet each other again, but this time, the situation is a lot direr than it was before. Now, Leanne is passing as a white person and is married to the man who is to be the mayor of the town which is racist, through and through. While Leanne feels trapped in a marriage that she was forced into by her mother, seeing Bayou again gives her hope. However, their reunion is short-lived when Leanne's mother wrongfully accuses Bayou of whistling at Leanne. This angers the white men of the town and they decide to make Bayou pay for it. Before they can kill him, he runs away to Chicago.From the beginning of the film, we find a strong sibling rivalry between Willie Earl and Bayou, with a major part of it exhibited by the older sibling. Bayou is treated as an outcast within his family, and his father favors Willie Earl, mainly because he learned to play the trumpet quicker. While Bayou has a beautiful voice, he could never do what his father wanted, while Willie Earl dedicated himself to the man. When their father leaves for Chicago, Willie Earl doesn't bat an eye before following him, even though he is told not to.Sheltered by his father, Willie Earl grew up believing that he was better than Bayou in every aspect. While he was good at playing trumpet, his talent didn't make him stand out. Still, much like his father, Willie Earl was delusional about his abilities. He had big dreams and he might even have achieved them, but he was simply not dedicated enough for it, unlike Bayou. It was Willie Earl's plan to go to Chicago and become a successful musician. He spends years in the city, to no avail. When he crosses paths with Ira, he thinks he might finally have it all. But then circumstances lead to Bayou accompanying them on the trip, which is where everything starts to go south for Willie Earl.Ira knew that Willie Earl needed something more if he wanted to make it as a musician. The spark that he lacked, Ira finds in Bayou. When the time comes to audition, it is Bayou who stays and actually auditions, as opposed to Willie Earl who leaves when the first trouble comes along the way. Still, Ira gets the gig for both brothers, tagged along with the actual deal that is signed by Bayou. As his younger brother flourishes, Willie Earl's career starts to go downhill. He gets hooked on drugs, which further affects his work ethic. As Bayou finds more success, Willie Earl becomes jealous of him. He starts resenting him for taking away what should have been rightfully his. He was the one who followed after their father and spent all that time in Chicago trying to make it. But here was Bayou, who had things served to him on a silver platter and took everything away that Willie Earl had worked for.The final straw for Willie Earl arrives when he is fired. He doesn't stop to think that his addiction and the problems that he created at the workplace might have something to do with it. Instead, he blames it all on Bayou and he wants him to pay for it. It is when Bayou decides to go back home that his older brother finds his opportunity. Everyone knew how dangerous it was for Bayou to be there. But Bayou reckons that Leanne's husband and his brother would probably not remember him because enough time had passed. Once back in town, Willie Earl goes straight to the sheriff and not only reminds him about Bayou but also tells him exactly where to find his brother. This leads the mob to descend on Bayou and kill him.