During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Bailey Family is struggling to survive in the small mining town of New Bedford in Northern Ontario, wracked not only by economic hardship but also by an unexpected death. Widowed, homeless and broke, Honey Bailey is forced to separate her family and sends her children to live with relatives while she concentrates on rebuilding her life so she can get them back. The family continues to face one hardship after another throughout the '30s as they fight to stay together, learning valuable lessons along the way.