In this unforgettable portrait of the early life of the Great Emancipator, young Mr. Lincoln, after teaching himself law, has barely started practicing when an Independence Day celebration ends with a stabbing. Abe first stops a lynch mob from killing brothers Matt and Adam Clay, and then defends them against a seasoned prosecutor and his crafty adviser. As presented here, Lincoln is a strong but peaceful frontier democrat, his quiet, awkward, folksy demeanor the outward manifestation of a deep humility, and a wise sadness at human folly. His awareness that his attempts to reconcile opposing forces--despite the occasional temporary victory--are doomed but necessary, hint at the character that will respond to the destiny that awaits him.