It’s a Big Country

On a moving train, a tired professor is pressed by a talkative passenger who asks whether he loves America. The professor responds by asking which America, turning the question into a broader explanation of the nation's facets. The exchange establishes a recurring theme about national identity and conflicting visions that threads through the episode.

During a conversation in the dining car, an older woman comments on how wonderful America is, provoking the passenger to ask again which America. The moment sharpens the film's meditation on different national identities. It hints at how everyday patriotism can be both comforting and controversial.

Mrs. Brian Riordan, an elderly Irish immigrant in Boston, seeks help counting her in the census and visits editor Callaghan to intervene. Callaghan devises a plan by sending a reporter to interview her under the pretense of a census taker. The scene shows the lengths people go to be recognized by the government and by the media.

Callaghan escalates by making frantic calls to government offices, reaching up to the White House in an effort to correct the census count. A census taker finally arrives, and Riordan insists on seeing his identification to verify legitimacy. The sequence creates tension between bureaucratic power, personal dignity, and press pressure.

The Negro Story montage highlights Black Americans' contributions, beginning with military service in the Navy and a Black midshipman becoming an ensign at Annapolis. It then moves through scenes of Black sailors, WACs, and paratroopers, illustrating achievement in the face of prejudice. The montage interweaves sport legends and famous performers who helped reshape public perception.

Continuing the montage, the film presents entertainers such as Marian Anderson, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, and other prominent Black figures. It also spotlights public servants—judges, scientists, educators, and politicians—who contributed to public life. The sequence links cultural achievement with a broader fight for civil rights.

Rosa Szabo secretly marries Greek Icarus Xenophon, challenging her Hungarian father's expectations. The revelation triggers cultural tension as Szabo confronts the consequences of the union. When the moment of truth arrives, Icarus offers a consoling cup of coffee to Szabo, who rejects Greek coffee.

Icarus presents a can of Washington Post coffee, featuring Washington's image, as a provocative symbol amid the family drama. The gesture juxtaposes national iconography with personal and ethnic loyalties, underscoring tensions between tradition and modernity. The scene uses a mundane product to probe identity and belonging.

Maxie Klein, a young Jewish soldier wounded in the Korean War, is traveling home and seeks out the widow of a fallen comrade. She is wary at first because her son did not mention a friend named Maxie, but she softens when she learns he is JoJo's friend and wants to write to her. He reads her a letter from her son and asks for her address so he can reach out.

A tall Texan takes it upon himself to separate fact from myth, challenging common stereotypes about his state. He confronts exaggerated tall-tale traditions and offers a grounded, personal perspective on Texas life.

Adam Burch, a summer minister in 1944 Washington, D.C., tailors his sermons to speak to the President, who cannot attend. After a few weeks, the sexton tells him that he's failing by ministering to only one person, prompting a shift toward broader outreach. The President, quietly listening, congratulates him on his efforts.

Miss Coleman, a San Francisco schoolteacher, discovers that her pupil Joey needs glasses, but Joey's father Esposito believes they are unnecessary and fear ridicule. The conflict highlights the dangers of denying children's needs and the consequences of parental pride. In the end, the father learns the importance of vision and support.