Brother Edgar is a generous entrepreneur of low quality socks who hides behind a self-bestowed cassock to avoid the low level corruption of local sheriffs. He has adopted Morales Pittman, who has bigger, more illegitimate dreams than Edgar. The two travel about Arkansas, selling their socks and bumping into a variety of simple souls, including the eponymous mythic killer, who has engaged himself to Apple Lisa Weed and disavowed his life as a murderer. Morales Pittman joins forces with Miss Apple Lisa's dim-witted brother, Reggie, to extort money from the local bumpkins, to the annoyance of the reigning provider of "protection," Mr. Pines. Things come to a head as Edgar finds himself falling for the blind Eva Nell, who manages the best teahouse in Arkansas and Morales becomes more jealous of the place the Kid has taken in Edgar's heart.