Plot: A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung disease, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike.
Alternative Plot: Nearly everyone in Harlan County, Ky., works in the coal mines for Brookside Mining. Wages are poor and safety conditions are even worse, and, when union organizer Warren Jacopovich (Stellan Skarsgard) shows up, he's gradually able to convince the miners to strike. Among them is Silas Kincaid (Ted Levine), whose wife, Ruby Kincaid (Holly Hunter), becomes a key player during the strike. She becomes a member of the organizing committee and regularly joins the picket lines herself.
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