A fictionalized journey of many low-income and low-educated returnees from World War II as they attempt to build a life and a family in rural America. The story of this coal miner emulates the difficulties and challenges of many men of this period who do the best they can with the resources available to them in their home territory. June Buckhorn returns from war to the holler where he was born. He finds a wife and bonus children and attempts to build a new family. He takes the only job for which he is qualified which is in the dangerous coal mines of Kentucky. June is a mild mannered man and naive enough to make him prey to abusive co-workers, his own wife, and strangers who steal his resources through deception. June rarely receives a break yet holds on to his work ethic, his honest personal relations, and his sense of responsibility.