Set in the small Nova Scotia mining town of Glace Bay in the early 1900s, the series revolves around the lives and work of the town's male population, virtually all of whom were employed by the local coal mine, and the trials and tribulations of the women
As the newly elected first president of the Junior Mine Workers' Association, Willie asks Mr. Crowe to recruit a doctor who can treat consumption. Nellie tries to send Maggie and Sarah back to Halifax as her condition worsens.
The national coal company's new doctor arrives in Glace Bay to treat the bedridden Nellie's advance case of consumption. In a surprising twist of fate, the new physician turns out to be Tony Moressa, Nellie's ex-boyfriend.
Mine owner Wendell Crowe, tired of Willie's combative attitude toward management, makes plans to teach him a lesson and keep him under control - starting by separating the boy from his beloved horse, Sable.
The Ponies are about to play their first big game without Willie. Charley takes him on a fishing trip to get his mind off the game, and Willie struggles with becoming a kid again.
After a fire breaks out, Ned accidentally stumbles upon the secret location that Spider Davis calls home. Ned is surprised to find that Spider has been living for some time in an abandoned boat.
The Ponies are about to play for the championship, but the game might have to be forfeited. Ned and Dr. Tony Moressa get into a heated confrontation, and in the aftermath, the ponies disband.
Love is in the air, or is it? Willie and Maggie conspire to ignite a romance between Charley McGinnis and Anne Harper, the schoolteacher. Their plan revolves around the upcoming school fundraiser.
Ned feels the weight of his new responsibilities in his new position as the mine's overman. During some dangerous work involving the use of explosives, a "tricked charge" triggers a collapse.
