The Proud Valley

David Goliath deserts his ship on arrival in Wales and climbs onto the back of a freight train. He meets Bert, a work-shy local, who scoffs at his determination to find work. The pair ride toward a nearby mining town.

The freight-train stops in a small mining town, where David and Bert briefly try to busk for money. They are scolded by Mrs Parry for making unpleasant noise outside her shop. The incident foreshadows Mrs Parry's protective stance over the town.

They stop outside a building where a male choir is rehearsing, and David begins singing along. The choir conductor, Dick Parry, is impressed and decides to recruit him and offers lodgings at his house. Mrs Parry objects to taking a boarder, but their children side with their father.

Dick secures David a job as a miner to work with him and his eldest son Emlyn. One worker objects due to David's race, highlighting the town's racism. Despite the tension, Dick's offer starts David's new life in the mines.

The miners mine too close to gas, triggering a fire that kills many. David manages to carry Dick out of the blaze but cannot save him. The disaster shakes the town and tests its resolve.

A month later, Dick's choir performs at a competition in his memory, with only David performing. The mine has been closed, and the other miners scrounge coal from the spoil heap to survive, with many claiming social benefits. Hope remains fragile as unemployment bites.

A year later, Mrs Parry struggles with five children to care for. Mrs Owen visits and says Gwen cannot marry Emlyn because he cannot earn enough money. The family faces precarious economic conditions and mounting pressure.

Gwen visits Emlyn and declares that she would marry him no matter his income, inspiring Emlyn to act. He decides to march to London with David and two other miners to demand the reopening of the mine. The plan embodies defiance against economic hardship.

Emlyn, David, and two other miners arrive in London, the day after Germany invades Poland. They hope to persuade the government to reopen the mine. The government, focused on war preparations, rebuffs their plea.

The miners return to Wales and attempt to reopen the mine, but a large fire strikes again, trapping the team inside. Candles flicker as oxygen runs low, and David and the others face a desperate countdown.

Emlyn proposes using dynamite to create an exit, but David sneaks away from the plan and confronts him. The dynamite is set and detonates, breaking through the rock and allowing a possible escape.

The other miners awaken Emlyn to discover David's lifeless body nearby; they mourn and pray for his soul. The tragedy casts a pall over the group as they press on with reopening the mine.

The mine is reopened and the town sings in unison as coal moves through the mine. The community bonds over tragedy and renewal, celebrating resilience amid hardship.