One hundred years ago the Rhondda Valleys were the most famous coal-producing area in the world. The people were suspended between two forces - the chapels and the mines. Their work was dangerous, often lethal. Their religion was fervent. Their attitudes were shaped by struggle and expressed in bitter strikes and religious revivals. This film tells the story, in the words of the time, of the rise of a way of life, and goes to the Rhondda to see what remains of it today.