Synopsis:

A poetic look at Britain's coal industry, moving from a graphical overview of the country as a whole to an almost impressionistic portrait of a Welsh mine, focusing on working conditions and the heroic figure of the miner. Director Cavalcanti uses a multi-layered soundtrack, poetic commentary by W. H. Auden, music by Britten and actuality sound over images of the mine at work to create an evocative story of a typical working day.