Examines the meager holiday season for poor families in the mountains of Kentucky. Reporter, Charles Kuralt, talks with the people about the disappointments their children will have on Christmas Day. The children sing carols and eat a hot meal, the only joy they will have at Christmas. A general store owner explains how automation has taken away jobs for men in coal mines. Shows people in line to receive surplus, government commodities. Emphasizes that poverty prevails year round, and shows the misery and discouragement of adults, the scant prospects of education for children, and the shacks that serve as homes.