Spanning two decades of tragedy and joy, this faithful adaptation of Warwick Deeping's best-selling novel tells the story of Stephen Sorrell (Richard Pasco), a decorated British army officer, who returns home after the First World War to face unemployment, poverty and his wife's desertion. Determined to educate his son as a gentleman, Sorrell is forced to accept exhausting and demeaning jobs in order to provide him with the best possibilities for a brighter future.