A mischievous boy growing up in a Mississippi River town in the 19th century impresses his friends and horrifies adults by associating with the son of the town drunk, running away from home, attending his own funeral, etc.
In 1830, a young slave girl switches her light-skinned infant son with her master's but when a murder occurs, Pudd'nhead Wilson compares fingerprints and brings the murderer and deception to light.