A wealthy man in Chicago suddenly learns about the untimely death of a poor woman he'd been dating. Confronted with her child, whom he'd begun to develop a bond with, he must determine to what extent he will allow his greed to overcome his compassion.

Three young siblings feel the effects of the Great Depression through their father's salary cut and change in mood. They hold a sales event to help their father which turns out to be a success.

A married couple tries to make ends meet for their hungry and sick children in the midst of the Depression but soon realize that sheer willpower cannot save them from the ruthless winter.

While their parents fight over the possibility of selling their family home during the Great Depression, two young sisters watch, and, in order to cope, one of the sisters forms a strong attachment to a stray cat in their neighborhood.

After yet another hurricane, a Puerto Rican family reflects how they hide their struggles from their Americanized relatives.

A middle aged upper class woman and her family live in an upscale neighborhood. The family's laughter turns malicious when they cannot distinguish between what is comical and what is horrendous and increasingly find amusement at the expense of others.

A working class man who wants his children to have everything their rich friends have purchases "Semplica Girls" — girls formerly living in poverty who sign contracts to hang as ornaments in people's yards — for his older daughter's birthday. When his younger daughter frees the Semplica Girls, the family is plunged into financial disaster.

A mother struggles to provide her daughter with comfort in an unstable home as her husband constantly searches for new employment.

A man reflects on the loneliness of his childhood home, where his family would fervently clean the house every Saturday for guests on Sunday who would never show.

A former divorcé runs into an old friend on the streets of New York City. Over a drink, the men speak about an endless cycle of generosity that the friend has wrapped himself up in, while the protagonist considers his comparatively smaller problems.