Brief Sypnosis?

It's been many years since I've seen it but I remember just loving it.
It is about old-time values versus 20th century "progress".
It is about toys and clothes crafted by hand with true love, skill, and affection versus factory-made commodities.
It is about living close to the land versus eating processed "food" with no thought of where that crap comes from, where the consumer takes no part in producing healthy food.
It is about being a consumer vs being a producer.
It is about valuing children and childhood and imaginary friends vs efficiency and brutal reality.

It is wonderful. I am looking to buy it on DVD or VHS so that I can loan it to all of my friends.

That's what the movie is about. Yes the vehicle is a wonderful storyline and superb acting. I will leave it to someone else to outline the story itself, but I highly recommend seeing it.

The movie is based in the 1940's, during World War II. Gertie Nevels is the mother of a family living in the mountains of Tennessee. They are sharecroppers, and she is married to a man who has a bad tendency to spend whatever money they manage to bring in on his truck (at one point it is mentioned that he sold the family milk cow to buy new tires, despite the fact that they have four growing children and are dirt poor). Gertie's husband claims that he's been drafted and leaves, but in reality, has gotten a wartime job in a defense plant in Detroit. He eventually sends for Gertie and their children to join him there.

The contrast between their home in the mountains, though humble, and the employees' quarters that they are given in Detroit is bleak. They live in the shadow of an enormous automotive plant, with a railroad yard on the other side. There is not a plant or tree to be seen. Local people are resentful of the "hillbillies" who have come into the area to take defense jobs. The apartment they live in is tiny, with paper thin walls; they can hear every word said by the neighbors and there is no privacy. Gertie's husband constantly buys large ticket items on credit and pooh-poohs her concerns about their mounting debt.

Two of the children fail to adapt to the lifestyle change, with some tragic consequences. The other children adapt in ways that are alarming to Gertie - one becomes obsessed with listening to radio programs, and her oldest daughter begins to show knowledge of sexual matters far beyond her years. Gertie's husband becomes caught up in the union movement, and is used as a dupe and fallguy by his union brothers. A prolonged strike leads to Gertie trying to support her children through her talent at wood carving, or "whittling" as she calls it. She makes wooden dolls and sells them. Eventually, she uses her handicrafts as a way to free the family of their life in Detroit so that they can return to the mountains.

This film is one of the best portrayals of Appalachian people that I have ever seen. Jane Fonda does an excellent job in bringing Gertie Nevels to life. The supporting cast is excellent. This one is well worth finding and watching.