In a Newfoundland village, a man grapples with the stigma of unemployment while relying on public welfare, striving to uphold his dignity. Drawing on everyday encounters with other able-bodied men, the narrative exposes the relentless pressure to constantly prove a commitment to work and maintain social value.

This book is about the problems faced by able-bodied men who are forced to live off public welfare, or "on the dole." Based on the author's daily interactions with a hundred unemployed men in one Newfoundland village, this sensitive probe takes on a narrative form centered on one man and his family, and his struggle to maintain their self-esteem in the community. For, to be excused for being unemployed, a man must constantly show his desire to work.