In which a young man, emboldened by youthful zeal, contemplates a delicate and risky plan to challenge the oppressive grip of the coal company, finding in the hesitant Minetti family both a warning and a stirring of resolve. As new alliances form amidst the harsh reality of camp life, he seeks to awaken courage and devise a nascent resistance, confiding in a determined woman and an aged miner whose worn strength lends a measure of hope.