Three generations of the extended Hendricks family don’t always get along (“Family”). The farm is going under, and there is disagreement about how to keep it going. Shelly Hendricks, a student at the local community college, wants to live her own life and loves Miguel (Uncle Ray’s farm hand) against the will of her parents (“Want to be me“). One night she has a dream which she shares with her grandmother Cora. Maybe her family can save the farm by growing Industrial Hemp? Cora shares Shelly’s ideas with her devoted husband Henry and grandson Tom. Tom, Shelly’s brother and third generation of this extended farm family, expresses jealousies toward his sibling, antipathy towards Miguel, and commiserates with his cousins about the plight of the farm (“Kids Know Best”).
At Shelly’s Invitation, the grandparents attend a Hempfest where they listen to a local band (“Grass”) and learn about the useful applications of Industrial Hemp. After fighting with her parents, Shelly visits Miguel who asks her to marry him (“Take a Stand“). At a family meeting, there is general agreement that because of their desperate situation they are willing to experiment with a Hemp crop, even though it is illegal to grow. Shelly and Miguel announce their engagement, and Miguel is accepted into the fold. All is right with the world (“Peace Now”), except for Uncle Ray who thinks the family should sell the farm. Ray, wanting “out” of the farm (“Caitlin County Blues“), exposes his family to the corporate executives who want to buy the farm for a considerable sum (“Compromised Individuals”). Next morning, the family elders, in an east-meets-west experience, show Shelly’s Goth clad friends how to sow the Hemp (“Planting the Seeds” – a combination of Traditional and Rap music).
At a neighboring farm auction (“On the Block“) the family meets up with some neighborhood farmers who agree to help with the Harvesting of the crop (“Hangin’ Together”). They create a “crop-circle” to divert the Feds who in all likelihood will be snooping around (“Diversionary Tactics”), but the family, despite their best efforts, is caught and arrested for growing an illegal substance. At the Caitlin County Courthouse, they are ably represented by their attorney (“Courtroom Cowboy“), and they get off with a light sentence. Ray leaves town, Shelly and Miguel become husband and wife, and, in a rousing finale, the family and community realize the importance of being there for each other (“One People”).
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The Caitlin County Hemp Wars 