1886 Johnstown, Pennsylvania -- Charlotte Lange mourns the loss of her grandparents, the only caretakers she has ever known. Life is hard in the Allegheny Mountains and Charlotte is not the only orphan living in the hills. Her best friends Rose and Izzy have nowhere to go and move in with Charlotte. The three teenage girls are terrified, but determined to stay in the Lange home.

When lifelong friend Braedan Egan goes to work in the coal mines, he promises to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. He and his younger brother move in, and the five young people with nowhere else to turn form a family of their own. For a time, life is sweet on their side of the mountain.

Thread by thread, the tapestry of family begins to fray. By the time a nearby dam collapses and floods Johnstown, their lives appear to be shattered.

Based on a true story, Bitter Friday tells the story of how tragedy can help people find their way back to the people and places that matter most.