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The lives of the Thami people in Alampu, Nepal, have been improving at the individual, family and village levels since slate mining started, opening up new choices and opportunities and allowing the residents to change their social roles and statuses. In this article, I tell the story of the Thami people, emphasizing their everyday activities of slate production and distribution, and describing how increasing repertoires of individual knowledge are contributing to social transformation in Alampu. The social transformation due to changes in status, social roles and the social relationships between the Thami (a subaltern group) and the Khadka (a higher caste group) people will be discussed. I argue that the Thami have exercised meaningful agency in improving their socio-economic condition at the individual, family and community level.