Miss Moffat is a strong-willed Welsh schoolteacher working in a small poverty-stricken coal mining town. Under her guidance, an illiterate teenager, Morgan Evans, transforms from bully to brilliant student. The distinguished lineage of actresses who have played Miss Moffat are Ethel Barrymore in the original Broadway production, Bette Davis in the film, Katharine Hepburn in the made-for-TV movie and Cicely Tyson in the Broadway revival. Now, Kate Burton takes on this classic role. Adding to the poignancy of the teacher-student relationship portrayed, Miss Burton's son, Morgan Ritchie, plays the role of Morgan Evans.