The Pasciaks are a blue-collar, Polish-Catholic family living in Chicago. The parents feel their six children have rebelled against their expectations as well as ethnic and religious tradition. Gary, 21, returns home from Los Angeles where he is pursuing an acting career. The Pasciaks express their mixed feelings about Gary's career choice, and celebrate Christmas Eve. Closes with the family responding to the film.

The Greenbergs, a divorced couple, and their children live in affluent Mill Valley, California. Jackie describes her feelings about the separation; the family celebrates Thanksgiving; Arne discusses the meaning of being a "weekend father"; the family celebrates Hanukkah; and the children discuss their feelings about their parents' fights. Closes with the family responding to the film.

The Kennedys are a family from suburban Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jim, a designer of nuclear weapons, is heavily committed to crusading for the cause of the retarded because of his son, David, a victim of Down's Syndrome. While well-provided for, his wife Joan and daughter Nancy resent Jim's frequent absences.

The Georges are an upwardly mobile black family from Queens, New York. Robert is a policeman in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of New York, and his wife, Peggy, is an office worker in a Manhattan insurance firm. Closes with the family responding to their portrayal on film.

The Stephens family of Villisca, Iowa, is one of a dwindling number of farming families in America. They are presented with a citation from the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture for owning Iowa land for 100 years, and are shown working hard to maintain their lifestyle. Closes with the family responding to their portrayal on film.

The Burk family is from Dalton, Georgia. Arlon and Grace Burk currently live on a Social Security check of $128 a month on five acres outside of Dalton. Most of their 10 children and grandchildren also live on those same five acres. Closes with the family responding to their portrayal on film.