

In the Appalachian town of Harper's Gap, West Virginia, the mines are closed, the community on welfare, but not for the Harper family. Rome steals coal from the closed, dangerous mines rather than take charity. Into this dying town comes Joe Borden, a VISTA worker who sees hope in Rome's son Hugh, a potter. From Hugh's talent, Joe envisions a way to bring industry back to Harper's Gap.

Alex Miller, perilously close to 30, has the kind of square respectability he's always shunned. Due to the fizzure of an underground-art scheme, Alex is in debt to a loan shark to the tune of $4,000. To pay it off, he is forced to enter the 9 to 5 world, taking a job at the Ajax Toy Company. Alex means to quit when the debt is paid, but finds he can't; his particular genius is well suited to the toy game, a fact that the firm's owner is quick to acknowledge with handsome rewards. Then, too, there's Carol Brandt, a unique creature totally unlike the girls Alex usually gets involved with.

Annamae Whiteley is a brash and fortyish department-store executive from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She's flying East to her niece's prep school graduation and a reunion with her family. On the plane, she meets Jesse Rothenberg, an attractive divorcée also attending the graduation. However, any developments in their relationship must be deferred, as Annamae faces family problems only she can cope with.