Post-war America. Vance's grandparents move north from the Appalachian region to Kentucky in hopes of a better life. They manage to break into the middle class. And their grandson - to enter and graduate from the law faculty of a prestigious university. But with each page, the harsh details of the heroes' past lives are revealed. Alcoholism and drug addiction, childhood trauma, poverty and unemployment. With poignant sincerity and a dose of humor, Vance talks about his family's life in hopeless conditions.