In 1933 Louisiana, the Morgans (Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks), a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers, face a serious family crisis in the midst of the Great Depression. Nathan Morgan tries to teach his son David to be a man and survive in difficult times with their dog, Sounder. But Nathan is imprisoned for a year after stealing a ham to feed his starving family. On his way to visit his father, David discovers a school. A kindly but firm teacher named Camille takes him in and teaches him about important African-American figures in history. David becomes desperate to go to school, but when his father is released a maimed man, David must choose between an education that can give him a better life or staying home to support his father.