Harlan County, U.S.A.

In a small Kentucky town, coal miners at the Brookside Mine join a union, sparking a fierce conflict when the owners reject the labor contract. As the miners strike, the company hires replacement workers, escalating tensions over a grueling thirteen-month period. Violence erupts frequently, with guns drawn on both sides and a tragic loss when one miner is killed. Captured with raw intimacy, this story reveals a community's desperate fight for survival against a corporation prioritizing profit over people, underscored by the poignant melodies of country and bluegrass legends Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece.