Rutland, Vermont, representative of many small cities across the country, struggles with high rates of unemployment, an opioid crisis, and a reluctance to change. When the mayor accepts Syrian refugees into the city as part of an economic diversification project, he faces backlash from city residents concerned that the lack of existing opportunities and resources for residents will only be further diminished. As a resident of this economically disadvantaged city, Stacie recognizes the root of the animosity, but having lived on the margins of society all her life, she also sympathizes with the struggles of the recently arrived refugees. Stacie, a mother, wife, and recovering addict, who barely makes ends meet collecting cans to supplement unemployment benefits finds herself an unlikely hero in a city split along divided lines. For the Love of Rutland is a portrait of a politically divided and economically devastated town, a portrait seen repeated all across America, and the glimmer of hope that can help rebuild a community.