"Walk the Line" follows the early years in the career of American music legend Johnny Cash. The young Cash sets out on life's journey battered by his brother's accidental death and an abusive father, who blames him for the incident. His rise to fame with such hits as "A Boy Named Sue" and "Ring of Fire" is countered by his struggle with amphetamines, barbiturates and alcohol. His instability, both financial and emotional, leads to the failure of his first marriage. The few comforts of his unhappy youth had come from the radio programs of June Carter, the luminous daughter of country music's first family. When their paths cross, it's her devotion and support that becomes his salvation.