Henry Cobb (Sidney Poitier), a warm and honest man, has worked his family brickyard for 57 years. From dusk to dawn every day but Sunday, every week of the year, he has proudly put his blood and sweat into creating red clay bricks. But now, in a time when automation rules America and following the recent passing of his beloved wife, Cobb's passion for his work is gone. When 13-year-old Danny Potter (Cody Newton) enters his life in search of a refuge from his bickering parents, Henry becomes his mentor, giving the boy a sense of purpose and the role model he so desperately needs.