Claudine (actress and singer Diahann Carroll) is a single mother raising six children in the projects of Harlem. Struggling to make ends meet on her meager income, Claudine resorts to welfare and must fight to keep her dignity as the welfare system forces her to jump through hoops. But her life takes a brighter turn when she finds romance with a pleasant garbage collector (James Earl Jones), who helps Claudine keep her family afloat.