Using footage from 1978 through 1986, this video shows some of the dramatic changes in lifestyle and subsistence which the !Kung have undergone since their days of traditional gathering and hunting. No longer relying completely on foods obtained self-sufficiently, we glimpse the !Kung being given hand-outs of mealie meal, spending earned money from working in the South African army on alcohol and consumer goods, and living in areas which increase crowding and argument. Filmmaker and anthropologist John Marshall is filmed helping the !Kung negotiate with South African authorities their right to install a pump on traditional lands. With a move back to traditional lands, and development of cattle herding and planned agriculture, there is a small hope that !Kung can be successful in a mixed economy.