Original subtitles

Another one?

Wait till I cool.

Asia, you are deadly with cinnamon.

Don't think she doesn't know it.

Joe, those old boards stacked up in the barn, you planning on using them?

I didn't know they were there.

Thought I'd build a few extra shelves.

Kids can stockpile more feed for the winter.

Fine with me.

Emile?

You want a glass of milk with that?

Don't I always?

You give him one?

Here you go, hon.

Thanks, Asia. You're the best.

I'm short an egg today.

There's a chicken missing. That's the second one this week.

I'll go check it out.

I'll come with you.

You know, I bet it's a fox.

Maybe a wolf.

Or a bear.

A bear?

Let's not get carried away now.

Well, nothing's burrowed. I don't see any traces of fur or blood anywhere.

Are you sure you latched the gate?

Yeah, I'm positive.

Looks like we got ourselves a little chicken mystery.

I'm going to figure this out.

My husband and I founded Plumfield as a school for children from all walks of

life. Its passing has left a void in our lives.

But in the children, I see the promise of a new day and find the strength to

keep our dream alive, no matter how hard the struggle.

Mr. Joe?

Yes, ma 'am.

I was wondering, what if somebody was really, really hungry,

and this kid, this person, was almost starving?

And he didn't mean any harm, he just wanted to feed his family.

Hmm. Go on.

Now, what if he was so desperate...

That he needed to steal something to eat.

Like a chicken?

Like a chicken.

But I'm not saying that it is. Oh, of course not. No.

Because it wouldn't be right, would it?

I mean, what if somebody promised they wouldn't tell that there's a hungry

family living in the woods?

No.

No, you... Somebody wouldn't want to do that if he gave his word.

Right.

I'm just wondering, if someone happened to follow this somebody,

completely by accident, of course. Yeah.

Could someone stumble upon this same family in the woods?

It's over here.

Hello? Josiah?

You promised.

Hush, Isaac. He ain't done wrong.

This your land, ma 'am?

Yes, it is.

I beg your pardon, ma 'am.

We're gonna pack right up and move on.

Isaac, get your bedroll.

How long have you been camping out here?

It's a few days.

As soon as we pick up, You'll never know we was here.

We didn't mean to cause you no trouble.

Oh, you haven't. I'm gonna pay you for them chickens as soon as I can.

There's no need.

Yes, there is.

I should have told Isaac to take them chickens straight back.

But, well, we were hungry.

My house is just up the ridge.

Would you join us for dinner?

Kind of you, ma 'am, but we'll manage.

I'm sure you will.

But I'd like for you to be our guest.

Mrs. Jones said we were having special guests.

Why are they special?

Paige is going to cook stuff this good. Who cares?

Why are you wearing such a nice dress, Beth?

Well, it's... It's a dinner party, isn't it?

Well, it's not like they're going to be dressed up nice.

They were living in the woods.

Nan, mind your manners.

Poor people got to write to your respect just like anyone.

They're here.

Welcome to Plumfield.

Hey, Isaac.

Hi.

They were Negroes. We're so glad you came.

Everyone.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones.

And their son, Isaac.

Hello.

Hi.

My, don't y 'all look lovely.

Why don't we go inside?

Come on, Isaac.

Why don't you take a seat next to Nat?

Mrs. Jones, you can sit next to me.

Thank you, ma 'am.

Sure a fine -looking table, Mrs. Bear.

Oh, thank you.

And whatever cooking sure smells good.

Oh, that's Asia for you. She's a wonderful cook.

Oh, here she comes.

Asia, I'd like you to meet the Jones family.

How do you do?

Ma 'am.

In your lap.

Well, Mr. Jones, where were you living before you came to Concord? Last place

was low, ma 'am.

Seems like we've been in every town from here straight back to Georgia.

Georgia, that's himself.

Are you slaved?

No. What?

That's all right, ma 'am.

We were slaved, Tommy.

But now we're free.

You're trying to escape?

No.

We just hoped.

And we prayed.

You all right?

You see those folks?

Seem like a nice family.

Yes, but Miss Jo's got them sitting right at the table with her.

Guess she wants them to feel at home.

But they're not used to eating in a place like this.

She should pack those folks some food and send them on their way.

Really, it's no trouble at all.

I won't take no for an answer.

Asia, I've invited the Joneses to spend the night with us.

Isn't that nice?

I'll have Nick lay out some bedrolls in the barn.

Well, I meant for us to prepare the guest room, of course.

Oh, no, ma 'am. The barn will suit us just fine.

Nonsense. That's why the guest room is there.

Maybe Isaac would like to bunk with the boys.

No.

But I... You stand with us.

We got an extra bunk, Mr. Jones.

plenty of room.

You be hidden.

Nothing.

That'll...

There's

some extra blankets in the hall closet just in case you get chilled, and if

there's anything else you need, just let me know.

You've done more than enough, Miss Bear.

Please, call me Jo.

Ready.

Thank you, Asia.

Yes, thank you.

You're welcome.

Well then, I guess I'm off to bed.

Good night.

Good night, Mrs. Bear.

Jo.

Jo.

Have you ever?

Laced curtains.

Feather bed.

What is it?

Why is she doing this?

Who? Mrs. Bear?

Jo.

She's a dear lady, Josiah.

With a big heart.

What does she want from us?

What do you mean what she want from us? Folks like her don't do nothing for you

without expecting something in return.

Maybe she's just trying to be nice.

Ever think of that?

When was the last time anyone did anything nice for us?

It's just one night, Josiah.

Can't you be grateful and enjoy it?

Isaac, I got you a bed.

Thanks.

You're gonna love falling asleep. Nah, no worries. Hey, come on.

Nothing can keep me awake.

I can sleep anywhere.

I bet he has.

We're happy you're here.

Yeah.

Night, Isaac.

Night, Dan.

Night.

Keep your distance.

I imagine it's been very difficult being on the move so much, especially while

raising a child.

Got no choice. Got to go where the work is.

What kind of work do you do?

Just about any job.

He's done carpentry, farming, even worked for a blacksmith once. And I'm

good with a needle.

We ain't picking, Mr. Lawrence.

All we want is an honest wage.

Some place where folks treat you decent.

There must be some opportunities in town.

Yes, I'd be happy to make some inquiries for you. Josiah, Mr. Lawrence knows all

the folks around here.

Maybe somebody's looking. That's right.

And in the meantime, I'd like for you to stay here at Plumfield. We have

everything we need by the creek.

Don't be silly.

I can't let you stay out there.

I insist.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones.

It's a losing battle arguing with her, I assure you.

If we stay, we're going to have to work for our keep.

Fine. And Isaac, too. Oh, no.

Isaac will go to school with the other children. I ain't putting my boy in this

school.

What Josiah means is Isaac's so far behind, he don't even know his letters.

That's fine.

I can teach him. Not here, you ain't. Not with them.

Josiah.

Mr. Jones.

I understand your reluctance.

But I can assure you that this school prides itself in the acceptance of any

child.

Your son will be treated fairly.

Please, at least let me teach him the alphabet.

I'll give him private lessons. Just the two of us.

And what's this letter here?

B.

That's a P, remember?

As in Plumfield, poodle, pitcher, remember?

Don't worry, Isaac, you'll get it.

I have an idea. Come here.

Mr.

Jones?

Nick Riley.

I'm the caretaker here.

This bear tells me you're willing to help out.

That's right.

Good. I could always use a hand.

Been meaning to put up some new shelves in the barn.

You ever done work like that before?

Built plenty of shelves in my day.

All right, then.

Follow me.

Now, what do you see?

Me.

That's right.

Now.

What do you see?

Me with my arms up like this.

All right. Look at the chart.

I'm a P.

That's right.

Now let's try an X.

X. Great.

You're getting it. You're getting it.

You finish awful quick.

These children know how to pick up dirt around here. You have got to scrub every

collar and every crease.

Yes, ma 'am. I've been awful careful.

Well, that'll do.

Now, listen, Ruth.

You don't have to wring the clothes by hand anymore.

You just wind the clothes through here and turn the crank.

I know. I used a roller before.

You have?

Yeah, they're real handy, ain't they? Saves lots of time.

Well, make sure you don't break nothing.

Well, I don't see no ring in the clothes.

I understand.

Just don't bring one here.

It's bad enough Mrs. Joe let them stay here overnight, but now they're moving

in.

It's only temporary.

She should have never brought them here in the first place.

Why not?

A bunch of lazy thieving squatters.

They've got it free and easy now. Eating our food, using our things.

It's sick.

Look at that.

Shows up when all the work is done.

The tour started an hour ago.

Oh, sorry we're late.

Got a little caught up in our lesson.

Isaac, you can help Tommy muck out the barn.

Nick, there's something a little more pleasant.

to do.

Gotta be done.

I don't mind. I like being around horses.

Oh, then maybe you can groom one.

That needs to be done too, right?

Sure.

Come on, I think I'll get you started.

I see Mr.

Riley found you, put you to work.

They built themselves for the barn.

Josiah, wait.

Things are going to work out here. I can feel it.

This place is different.

Joe's been real good to us.

And that Mr. Lawrence has been real nice, too. Yeah, everybody's been real

Giving us that fine room.

Wanted to teach Isaac in their fancy white school.

These are good folks, Josiah.

Open up your eyes.

Take a look.

They just want to help.

You finished grooming those horses yet?

No, sir.

Everybody's got to pull his own weight around here.

I give you a job, I expect you to do it.

Yes, sir.

Faster, guys, faster, come on.

Come on, guys, let's go.

Oh, you think you can beat me, Jack, huh, really? Let's go, come on.

Can I help?

Don't eat it. He can do something else.

Take the slop out to the pigs.

What's going on?

Oh, uh, nothing. I was just saying that, well, Isaac's finished clearing off the

table and he really doesn't have anything else to do. But I want to help.

Well, I have an idea.

Why don't you light the fire in the parlor? But that's my job tonight.

Well, you're not finished here, Emil. But that's not fair.

Mrs. Joe, we all take turns lighting the fire.

I mean, we all love to do it. Well, that's why I thought it might be nice

our guest to do it tonight.

Here we go, Isaac.

Nice fire.

You know, I remember my first week at Plumfield.

Felt real strange, didn't think I'd ever fit in.

But then something happened my first Saturday night.

Made me feel real comfortable.

You know what happens every Saturday night?

What is it?

Pillow fight!

Hey, come on. Go. Yeah, let's go.

Come on. You do better than that. Come on.

It's Saturday night.

Would you like to go and see?

Sure.

Hey that's my bed!

That's it!

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

We've made a new entry in the conscience book.

Out loud.

While dedicating the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, President Lincoln

proclaimed that all men are created equal.

Members of Emile's own family have died fighting to uphold that principle.

Yet Emile has failed to embrace it himself.

Miss Jo.

There's more? But I know all this.

Do you?

What does it mean to you, Emile?

Do you believe that all people are created equal?

I don't understand it.

All Isaac wanted was to feel a part of things.

To enjoy the same sense of fun and belonging that you take for granted

day.

I'm sorry.

I'm not the one you should be apologizing to.

We're leaving, Miss Bear.

Don't want no more trouble.

There'll be no more trouble.

I promise.

Go on.

I'm sorry I hit you.

I feel deeply sorry.

But given time... Time ain't gonna change things.

It's always gonna be the same.

Don't know what we were thinking, letting Isaac sleep in a room full of

boys. I wanted to stay there.

That's all right, son.

Why don't you wait outside for us? We'll be long directly.

Where will you go?

I don't know.

But we're gonna find someplace where Isaac's gonna feel wanted.

He's wanted here. Here?

That boy beat a mack done.

And he'll be punished for it, I can assure you.

Don't let Emile's actions turn you away.

Please.

Join us in church this morning.

Meet the community.

Concord is a very progressive town. I'm sure there'll be great opportunities for

you here.

That way, Lori and I can introduce you to some of the business people in town,

the shopkeepers, the... Won't do no good.

Well, I'm going.

I'm tired of running and moving all the time.

This place you be talking about, we be searching all over, and this be the

time I thought we might have found it. How could you say that after what

happened to your son?

It breaks my heart what happened to Isaac.

But for once, somebody be doing something about it that'll look in the

way.

Miss Jo and Mr. Lawrence and all the other kids have been nothing but

to us.

So I'll be happy to go to church with y 'all.

Except I've got nothing proper to wear.

Well, I do.

Fit all right? Oh, yes, Asia. It's beautiful.

This fabric is so fine.

Take care when you move these lamps. They break easy.

Oh, I was real careful.

And mind you, keep her dress clean.

Take proper care of it. I will.

Thompson. He owns the mill.

I'm sorry Josiah couldn't join us, Ruth.

I was hoping to introduce him.

Yeah.

Mr. Lawrence, Joe, I hope you can understand.

Josiah, he's a good man.

A proud man.

And forgive me, but he's seen hard times you folks could never imagine.

That's why we want to do whatever we can to help.

I just find it real hard to trust people.

Give him time.

Mrs. Albright.

Good morning.

This is Ruth Jones, the young woman I was telling you about. How do you do?

How do you do?

Mrs. Albright.

You know how it is up in my school. Someone's always tearing their pants,

a button, ripping a sleeve.

Ruth has been right there, handy with a needle. How wonderful.

I'm sure you're always looking for a fine new seamstress.

Oh, well, you know Mrs. Bear.

In my shop, all my girls have experience with lace.

Have you any experience with lace?

As a matter of fact, ma 'am, I do.

I just learned, mind you.

This lady in Virginia taught me how to sew on collars and little strips around

the sleeves and such.

I'm afraid trade's been rather slow this season.

But if it picks up, I'll be sure to let you know.

Thank you, ma 'am.

Well, isn't that a handsome house?

This house, isn't it?

Oh, yeah, Joe.

It's my house, for me and my folks.

I see.

What the...

Oh, that's the kitchen. It's got a brand new potbelly stove and a big long table

in case we got company.

And this room here?

Oh, that room's my folks' room.

It's right next to mine.

And this room's my favorite.

My ma can sew and my pa can whittle or smoke his pipe.

Very nice.

How's that job coming?

Oh, I'm afraid this was my fault. I distracted him.

All right.

Isaac, finish up.

Lunch is on the table.

He hasn't finished his chore.

This wood pile can wait an hour.

This wood should have been stacked already.

What's going on?

Nothing. Everything's fine.

We're just headed into lunch.

Josiah, part of my job is keeping after these kids about their chores.

From now on, Mr. Riley, if Isaac's giving you a problem...

You come to me, and I'll take care of it.

It's all right.

Every window, you'll be out here all night.

They'll take Mrs.

Joe and easy on you, Mel.

You nearly broke his nose.

He doesn't belong here.

The sooner he leaves, the better.

Well, maybe if you got to know him. I don't want to get to know him, Tommy.

He's a Negro.

Nothing better than a barnyard animal.

this job isaac i want you to clear out this corner then you and the boys can

start stacking the feet all right yes sir okay

I'm terribly sorry, Ruth.

I was so certain that the community would respond.

Well, thank you for trying.

Well, let's not give up hope yet.

There must be someone still looking for a fine seamstress.

A Negro seamstress?

You can hope all you want that it won't make any difference.

But it does.

Josiah, of course we were disappointed this morning.

But I still believe there are people in town willing to hire you. Most white

folks don't think like you.

Josiah.

All we ask is to be given a chance.

To be treated like other people, then win or lose.

Up to what?

Well, perhaps if you weren't so hostile, Josiah, and suspicious of every honest

offer to help, maybe you'd find that chance here in Concord.

But it sounds like all the others.

Then what's the answer?

Move on to the next town and then to the next?

You don't want that. for your family i haven't faced your struggles josiah

that's true but the only way to heal the pain from the past is to educate

ourselves starting with our children the more we learn about each other and make

an effort towards real understanding the better we'll be able to live together

side by side

Get more water.

We need more water, guys. We'll pump it faster.

Right now.

I'm here, Nick. I'm here.

Get out.

Got it in time.

What's he saying?

I don't know.

But I wouldn't want to be Isaac right now.

He's in for it, all right.

It was an accident.

He set the barn on fire. Yeah, Nat.

What if it was one of us?

We'd be in big trouble for Mr. Joe.

I suppose you're right.

She'll probably go real easy on him like she has been.

Come on.

Let's get out of here.

You were careless, son.

Had your head in the clouds.

You know what could have happened.

But it didn't.

I'm sure I would feel terrible about what happened.

I do.

And I'm sure he'd be much more careful and cautious about his work the next

time. I think you know what that means.

You've got to pay more attention.

But I was. I was sweeping the barn like Nick told me to, and I don't know what

happened. I'll tell you what happened.

You got distracted.

You put that lamp down where you shouldn't, and the hay caught on fire.

I'm sorry.

That's not good enough.

Nick, I want to make it up to you, Miss Jo.

Really, I do.

Just tell me what to do.

I think you've learned a hard enough lesson already.

That's it?

I'm sorry. Could you forgive us, Richard?

A

punishment.

That's what you'd like to see Isaac get, isn't it? No, I wouldn't like it, but

that's what he deserves.

Isaac's been fooling around, not doing his share, ever since he got here. He's

new here. He feels awkward.

Stop making excuses for him. He's a good kid, but he needs discipline.

You are too hard on him, Nick.

You single him out.

What?

You treat Isaac differently because he's a Negro.

I don't care what color he is.

And I don't expect anything more from Isaac than I do from the other boys.

He's had a much harder life than the other boys. And I have done everything I

can to make sure that he feels wanted and comfortable here. That's right, Joe.

You have.

You've singled him out. You've treated him differently. Not me.

I don't think the kids haven't seen it, too.

He let him off the hook?

Believe it.

I mean, he tore up the barn. It was an accident.

Yeah. And he gets off free and clear.

Shh.

Hello,

everyone.

Someone will need to gather the rest of the children for dinner. And Asia, could

you let the Joneses know?

They already ate, Mr. Jones. They ate by themselves in the kitchen.

Looks great, Asia.

Asia, I just wanted you to know that I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.

And I don't think of you that way.

How do you think of me?

As a friend.

I'm a Negro.

Emil, I'm colored.

I don't see that, Asia. I see you.

A person.

Yeah.

An equal person.

If you want to be my friend...

You have got to think of me.

Treat me. Treat everyone as an equal. Do you understand?

Something out of place?

Yeah, Ruth.

Me.

I've made some tea.

Would you like to join me?

Yeah.

I've learned something about myself today.

I've discovered that prejudice can take many forms.

There you are.

I've been looking for you.

Didn't think the others would want me around.

If the others seem angry, it's because they believe that you, as well as

everyone else who stays at Funfield, should pay the consequences for their

actions.

They're right.

You're a fine boy, Isaac.

You have a wonderful spirit and imagination.

There's a time for work and there's a time for play.

And I'm afraid you've been very careless and irresponsible with your chores.

Now I'd like you to go to the barn and clean up and repair all the damage that

you've done there.

Yes, ma 'am.

Thanks. Whoa.

I was expecting you today.

Yes, well... Josiah, Ruth, may I speak to you for a moment?

Morning, Mr. Lawrence.

Morning.

I've been doing some thinking and, uh... Well, I've spoken to Mr. Harris at the

bank.

He's agreed to give me a loan for a small house and some property to farm.

With the understanding that I intend to co -sign the loan.

With you.

Well, Mr. Lawrence, we can't accept charity.

If it's not charity, Josiah, you'll be responsible for the place and all the

mortgage payments.

The only thing I've given you is what the bank needed.

My name and reputation for what that's worth.

The rest is up to you.

Oh, Mr.

Lorne. Wait.

Hold on here now.

Josiah, hush.

This is the chance we've been praying for.

I accept.

Thank you Mr. Lawrence.

Pleasure.

Asia?

Gone.