Emily, a maturing teenage girl, lives in a small town in the hills of West Virginia. Her dad is a coal miner and money is scarce in their family. In fact, the entire town suffers for the same reason - a lack of money and just enough to make it from paycheck to paycheck. Being born into a family of poverty has caused Emily to be bitter with her family. She's so self-conscious of being poor that she actually becomes ashamed of her family and her home. She constantly daydreams of running away from home in hopes of finding a wealthy life. One morning Emily has a terrible fight with her mother....