In which the seminary days drag tediously for Elmer Gantry, who perfects his oratory under a professor of literature while disdainfully dismissing scholarly theological pursuits and enduring the grim tutelage of the inscrutable Dr. Zechlin. Meanwhile, the earnest and thoughtful Frank Shallard wrestles with doubts and the complex realities of faith under Zechlin’s cautious mentorship, nurturing a quiet resolve to reform the church from within despite their starkly contrasting temperaments and attitudes.

In which a young, ambitious preacher named Elmer Gantry is sent to serve a small rural church, where he sets about winning over the congregation with his earnest sermons and effusive charm, while also finding himself captivated by a local girl named Lulu. As he navigates his first pastoral duties with a mingling of zeal and youthful awkwardness, he seeks both to inspire his flock and to gently woo the innocent and devoted Lulu.

In which Elmer Gantry and Frank Shallard arrive at the Bains farm for Thanksgiving, where tensions simmer over Suspicions of impropriety and debated virtues amid a convivial church supper. Elmer, caught between desire and ambition, navigates the delicate balance of charm and caution as he courts Lulu Bains amidst the earnest piety and gentle scrutiny of her family and neighbours.

In which a group of aspiring Baptist clergymen, diverse in temperament and ambition, congregate in a modest seminary dormitory to spar over theology, church doctrine, and the practicalities of preaching life. Among them, the solitary Elmer Gantry wrestles with his restless spirit and aching loneliness, caught between youthful bravado and a yearning for connection.

In which the earnest young Elmer Gantry returns to his Kansas hometown draped in newfound clerical dignity, preparing to enter the Baptist ministry with a voice both commanding and polished, amidst the dusty congregation of humble farmers and neighbours. With a mix of solemn ceremony and rustic charm, the ordination unfolds under cottonwood shade, revealing the quaint customs and earnest hopes of a devout rural community embracing their freshly consecrated preacher.

In which a large, robust young man wrestles with the weighty task of delivering a public address on divine love, borrowing from unexpected sources and the Bible amid the watchful eyes of a devout college community. The episode captures the mingled curiosity, scepticism, and solemn hope of those around him, set against the backdrop of earnest religious fervour and youthful ambition.

In which Elmer Gantry is gently nudged by various figures—from college presidents to family—to consider the ministry as a path to social prestige and personal influence, though he grapples with the elusive spiritual "Call" that is said to legitimise such a vocation. Meanwhile, the surrounding voices of faculty, friends, and ageing clergy muse pensively on the value and burdens of ministry in a changing world, revealing the quiet tensions beneath their devout façades.

In which a robust and magnetic young preacher visits a college Y. M. C. A. gathering, stirring admiration and moral wrestling among the students with his hearty approach to faith and manliness. Meanwhile, Elmer Gantry wrestles with the implications of this visit, his own courage, and familial ties as he prepares to witness the fervour of a big meeting.

In which Elmer Gantry, accompanied by his devoted mother, attends a fervent evangelical meeting where the impassioned oratory and heartfelt hymns sweep him into a spontaneous public conversion before a cheering crowd. Torn between the ecstatic commitment demanded by the gathering and the quiet scepticism of his old friend Jim Lefferts, Elmer wrestles privately with doubt and the uneasy promise of his newfound role.

In which the burly and boisterous Elmer Gantry, famed football captain and a man of loud voice and swelling ambition, alternates between restless college life and evenings spent in smoky saloons with his steadfast companion Jim Lefferts, juggling intellectual scepticism and raw emotion. The pair’s escapades lead them beyond the sedate, pious routines of Terwillinger College into the rough-and-tumble, spirited exchanges of small-town street meetings and the tangled affections of girls in nearby Cato.