Bankrupt and alone in Europe after a series of bad business deals, Mark Twain has lost his faith in humanity. It is under these conditions he puts pen to paper with the question: Is something incorruptible if it has not been tested?

Welcome to Hadleyburg, a small American town that calls itself the "Most Honest in America." One day, a stranger arrives, telling the townsfolk he wants to reward the person who helped him when he was down on his luck. He presents one of the townsfolk with a bag and a letter that explains its contents - $40,000 to the stranger's mysterious benefactor, if only they can prove themselves by reciting the words that turned his life around!

But the stranger has ulterior motives! Having once been wronged by the people of Hadleyburg, he has returned to put their "honesty" to the test. Will the people of the town give in to their greed? Will their virtue stand?

Adapted from Mark Twain's short story of the same name originally published in Harper's Monthly in 1899.