An Appalachian family caught between century-old tradition and the modern world. There are, at present, over 40 Bowlings living in the hollow which is a mile-wide valley located in one of the poorest and most isolated parts of eastern Kentucky. For seven generations, the Bowling family has lived in Saul, Kentucky. Like much of the Appalachian population, the Bowling clan fits the profile of a poor rural family struggling for such basic needs as health-care and education. Proud homeowners with a deep regard for land and family, the Bowling's uniquely American lifestyle is now threatened by a lack of job opportunity and dwindling welfare spending. And while many Appalachians are gradually lured down from the hills to work at the malls and fast-food restaurants of a rapidly encroaching society, the Bowlings hang steadfastly on to their land--thus family members are often torn between a dependence on welfare, a desire to work, and an unwillingness to leave the home they love.