How many go through life without a second thought?
Mike Thomas is a typical teenager, wandering through life in 1970s Appalachia. Like most young mountain men of that era, he goes to work in an underground coal mine ran by the strict disciplinarian JT Theodore. He learns his craft well and attends the local college in his off-time. At Theodore's urging, he becomes a section foreman, a decision that causes an unrepairable rift in his family. Striking up a romance with Theodore's daughter Jennifer, it seems his life's path is set. Then a coworker shatters his impressions, and a terrible mine accident leaves him questioning his life decisions. Is he willing to give up all he has worked for to change the course of his life?