In a town so small it can hardly be called a town, a black woman serves a rich white family until a series of horrific events causes the single joy in her life to vanish.

In a small rural farm town, a middle-aged poet struggles with aging and finding meaning in his life.

As the era of American farming comes to an end, it proves more difficult than expected for one young man to convince an old woman that she should leave the land for more fruitful prospects.

A man leaves his family in NYC to look for a job out West. During the trip, he helps an injured young boy, sleeps with a waitress, and considers leaving his family for good.

A teenage boy follows in the footsteps of his favorite teacher and leaves his small, rural community to attend a faraway college. However, a chance encounter with an old man makes him remember the value of nostalgia and one's birthplace.

A ranching family stays optimistic during tough times by remembers their good luck last summer when they persuaded a generous rancher to work on his farm.

In a small town, a resident watches as the people and place change. He recounts eight seemingly disparate stories, but the town connects them all.

A tiny Chinese village is slated to be inundated by a flood, and the government offers resettlement checks and industrialized homes to citizens who relocate so that a dam can be built in the village’s place. A seed keeper and schoolteacher are among the last to stay behind.

During World War II, a boy moves to the big city from agrarian Alabama. Astounded by the lack of greenery, he convinces a local gang to build a farm, but not everyone agrees with his plan.

When a farmer proposes a year-long vacation to his wife and son, they each go their separate ways until his personal plans become an embarrassment to the whole family.