In 1954, during the height of McCarthyism and the Cold War, the controversial labour film ‘Salt of the Earth’ was made despite numerous attempts by the film industry and the U.S. government to prevent its production. This film explores the background that surrounded the film’s production, combining interviews and production footage with newsclips and broadcasts from the early fifties. It captures the struggle of the blacklisted Hollywood film people who defiantly set out to commit a crime to fit their punishment. Narrated by Lee Grant.