Set in New Hope, Wisconsin, the series revolved around Reverend Richard Dennis and his four children, Althea, Patsy, Babby and Grayling.

Another soap opera created by Phillips, The Guiding Light, initially had a religious theme as a radio show but dropped it by the time the series moved to television.

According to Jim Cox in The Great Radio Soap Operas, "By the time Dr. Jordan said 'good-by' on her final broadcast on Friday, October 8, 1948, the fans were already acquainted with the family that would replace her.

There were five children in the radio version, but the oldest daughter, Liz (played from 1949–1954 by actress Margaret Draper), married and left the family as the show began on television.

The timeslot change was the final nail in the coffin, as both series lost almost half their audience, with The Brighter Day falling from a 6.9 to 3.7.

Langton ended the show with a final farewell: "The microphone can't pick up their voices and soon the picture will fade.

Nixon went on to write The Guiding Light and, later, Another World, before creating her two classic soap operas on the ABC network, All My Children and One Life to Live.