It tells the story of a father's journey from rural South Africa, to and through the city of Johannesburg in search of his son.
In the small, poor village of Ndotsheni, in the Natal province of eastern South Africa, the umfundisi Stephen Kumalo receives a letter from a fellow minister begging him to come to Johannesburg, the capital city of South Africa. He, through the letter, is told that his sister, Gertrude, is terribly ill. Kumalo goes on the difficult and expensive journey to the city in hopes of aiding Gertrude and finding his son, Absalom, who traveled to Johannesburg from Ndotsheni and never returned or even wrote. In Johannesburg, he and fellow reverend Msimangu, find that his sister is now a prostitute and alcohol seller, for she had been in prison and never found her husband who she originally went to Johannesburg to search for.
He quickly removes his sister and her son from this situation. He then goes on to search for his son Absalom. They visit Kumalo's brother, John, who is now a successful businessman and politician, and he directs them to a factory, where both their boys worked. As Kumalo travels from place to place, he begins to see the racial and economic divisions that are threatening to split his country apart. Eventually, Kumalo discovers that his son has spent time in a reformatory and that he has gotten a girl pregnant. Visiting the girl, he finds that his son has gone missing again.
The newspaper announces that Arthur Jarvis, a white man who was fighting for racial justice, has been murdered in his home by a gang of burglars. Kumalo and Msimangu learn that the police are looking for Absalom, and Kumalo's worst suspicions are confirmed when Absalom is Arrested for Jarvis's murder.
Absalom confesses to the crime but claims that two others, including John Kumalo's son, Matthew, were there with him. He also tells his lawyer and father that he did not intend to murder Jarvis and that he was shot because he was scared. John makes arrangements for his own son's defense, not even caring about his nephew, this will worsen Absalom's case. When Kumalo tells Absalom's pregnant girlfriend what has happened, she is saddened by the news, but she warmly agrees to his proposal that she marry his son and return to Ndotsheni as Kumalos daughter-in-law.
Meanwhile, in the hills above Ndotsheni, Arthur Jarvis's father, James Jarvis, tends his land and hopes for rain. The police bring him news of his son's death, and he leaves immediately for Johannesburg with his wife. In an attempt to come to terms with what has happened, Jarvis reads his son's writing on social inequality and begins to reconsider his own prejudices. He and Kumalo meet for the first time by accident, and after Kumalo has recovered from his shock, he expresses sadness and regret for Jarvis's loss. Both men attend Absalom's trial, which ends with the death penalty for Absalom and an acquittal for his so-conspirators. Kumalo arranges for Cor Absalom to marry the girl who is pregnant with his child, and they say their final goodbyes. The morning of his departure, Kumalo wakes his new family to bring them back to Ndotsheni only to find that Gertrude has disappeared, leaving behind her young son. Having gone to Johannesburg to bring back his sister, brother, and son he sadly leaves without them, returning home with his sister's son and his own son's pregnant wife.
Kumalo's eyes have now been opened to the fact of how his people have lost the tribal structure that once held them together, and he returns to his village troubled. It turns out that James Jarvis has been having similar thoughts. Arthur Jarvis's young son befriends Kumalo, and as the young boy and the old man become acquainted, James Jarvis becomes increasingly involved with helping the struggling village. He donates milk, makes plans for a dam, and hires a farming expert to teach them newer, better farming techniques. When Jarvis's wife dies, Kumalo and his congregation send a wreath to express their sympathy. Just as the head bishop is going to transfer Kumalo, Jarvis sends a note of thanks for the wreath and offers to build the congregation a new church and Kumalo is permitted to stay in his Parish.
On the evening before his son's execution, Kumalo goes into the mountains to remain in solitude. On the way, he encounters Jarvis, and the two men speak of the village, of lost sons, and of Jarvis's bright young grandson, whose innocence and honesty have impressed both men. When Kumalo is alone, he weeps over his son's death and clasps his hands as dawn breaks over the valley.