Ann Curry travels to the very heart of America, where the need is especially urgent and the stories especially poignant. She brings us a very personal look inside the lives of families who've had it all vanish —  jobs, then homes, then dreams.

The three young Hawk children arrived home one evening to find their mother was missing. Today, questions still remain in her disappearance, as her children struggle to move on.

Young migrant laborerswork alongside their struggling parents on America's farms.

Can you really believe what you see? Dateline puts the human brain to the test

Crime fighting becomes personal for FBI agents when their own office manager is murdered. NBC's Josh Mankiewicz reports.

Crime fighting becomes personal for FBI agents when their own office manager is murdered. NBC's Josh Mankiewicz reports.

In a case of disputed evidence and contradictory testimony, one thing is clear: 12-year-old Amanda Cope was brutally murdered, and she deserves justice. Her father confessed to her murder, but was he really a killer?

In a case of disputed evidence and contradictory testimony, one thing is clear: 12-year-old Amanda Cope was brutally murdered, and she deserves justice. Her father confessed to her murder, but was he really a killer?

Nearly 25 years ago, a smart, loving, little boy disappeared, his body found a couple of weeks later. Now the case is solved. But what took so long?