Glace Bay, Nova Scotia Canada, 1901. Willie MacLean is a 10-year-old boy with a love for horses and liking to school to cape the difficult times his family has. Willie's stern, but benevolent father is a coal miner in a local mine along with his older brother John. But when Willie's father is injured and John is killed in an accident at the mine, Willie is forced to step into his brother's shoes to support his older sister Nelle, and two younger sisters until their father recovers. Willie soon finds work at the mine lonely (aka: the pit) and unfriendly in which he forms a bond with a pit pony horse in order to make it though each day.

In 1983, fifteen Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, landowners went to court to stop the spraying of herbicides by the local subsidiary of a Swedish multinational on forests adjacent to their properties. They found that the testimony of scientists and the support of public opinion, both here and abroad, were not enough to win their case. The film shows their ordeal and the landmark Sydney trial. Concerns raised included potential conflict-of-interest situations where a government must protect citizens' health while supporting certain kinds of industry; the relative value of the political and judicial processes in mediating social problems; and the need for a public forum for debating environmental issues. The film contains outstanding footage from chemical-industry films of the 1950s and recent material about Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange.

This documentary traces the folklore, stories, and reality of living under the hurricane force winds, that beat down upon the residents of the Acadian region of Western Cape Breton Island, between Margaree Harbour and Cheticamp. The film contains stunning landscapes shot in winds of 130 miles per hour. While there is often serious damage from these Suêtes, roofs blowing off buildings and even homes blowing apart, there is also a good dose of local humour surrounding life under these harsh environmental conditions. Residents from young to more than 90 years old tell their tales of life under these winds.

Glace Bay 1930. Das Leben könnte für Donald nicht schöner sein. Die Mädels machen ihn an, die verführerische Mary gibt dem Priesterschüler Einführungsunterricht in Sachen Liebe und an Freizeit für erotische Spiele mangelt es nicht. Als Donald zufällig heimlicher Zeuge eines kaltblütigen Doppelmordes wird, ändert sich sein Leben. Doch er schweigt aus Angst. Selbst dem Pfarrer kann er sich nicht mehr anvertrauen, denn der Lüstling im Priesterrock wollte ihn sexuell mißbrauchen. Erst als der Mörder die eigene Tochter, das Mädchen das Donald liebt, mißhandelt, ist er fest entschlossen, sein Schweigen zu brechen. Nur so kann er eine weitere grausame Tat verhindern. Ein gefährlicher Entschluß...

Nova Scotia (Ostkanada) in den 40ern. Das Leben ist trist in der Einöde, außerdem drücken schlimme Erinnerungen: Die gleichermaßen sensible wie lebenshungrige Margaret verlor ihren Vater und den Bruder bei einem Grubenunglück. Nun leidet sie unter der Bitternis ihrer Mutter. Die Heirat mit dem pragmatischen Romantiker Neil Currie scheint Margarets Leben zum Guten zu wenden. Da verliert Neil seinen Job und muss schweren Herzens in der Kohlegrube anheuern. Wieder nimmt das Schicksal seinen Lauf...

This Traveltalk series entry visits the easternmost area of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. We learn that although the island was originally settled by the French, most of the island's inhabitants are of Scottish descent. We are also told that the main industries of the island are agriculture, fishing, and mining. After a look at Bras d'Or Lake, we visit the village of Baddeck. Near there is the grave of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. The last stop is the industrial city of Sydney, home of steel plants, foundries, and coal mines.

This short documentary profiles 27-year-old Scoggie Watson, a Cape Breton stalwart who clings to the things he cherishes most: the waters of Lake Bras d'Or, his hand-built sailboat, his freedom, and the friends who stayed in Cape Breton instead of leaving for the big cities.