There is something universal and even anonymous about the ballads and traditional tunes we hear today. More often than not, we don't know the exact sources or where they come from. But, for many people in the 1930s in rural America, in this case, Eastern Kentucky, music was very much a part of daily life. People learned their songs in the flesh and blood from other family and community members. And often a song came with a story and a lifelong memory. This film follows the role of music in the lives of several generations of the Abner family, following them from their ancestral homeland in Eastern Kentucky to later generations that migrated to Southern Ohio. The music of his childhood in the mountains has left an indelible mark on Charlie, the protagonist, and there is a tension throughout the film as to whether or not he will fulfill his lifelong dream of returning to the home place upon his retirement.