An Italian-American family begins to crumble apart after experiencing several tragic accidents, but the father tries desperately to stay strong and remains optimistic that everyone will one day be together again.

When an ex-prisoner-turned-cowboy becomes a farmhand, he forms unconventional relationships with the elderly brother and sister who own the ranch.

A middle-aged man and his wife struggle to fight the cold, care for their kids, and maintain their marriage as they build a house on a ranch in Washington state during several years filled with set backs and heartache.