This series chronicles the lives of the Hollis family as they navigate the challenges and transformations of post-war Britain. Each installment offers a glimpse into their personal dreams, struggles, and aspirations to find their place in a world rebuilding from wartime devastation. The narratives explore themes of ambition, class disparity, and the pursuit of fulfillment in both the arts and everyday life. It's a poignant exploration of family bonds and the resilient human spirit against adversity.
As an evacuee, Ralph received a good education, but after the war Ralph's working-class father resents his education and his ambition to be an actor, and is furious when Ralph is sacked from the paper mill. The story traces Ralph's struggle to reconcile the disparate strands of his life.
The war is over but Elsie is still fighting her own battles. She's bullied because she's the only scholarship pupil at the grammar school, and she has an awkward relationship with her father as he struggles to assume a normal life after fighting in the war. But when she begins working at the local theatre, Elsie discovers she can escape.
Henry misses his father who died a war hero. One day Mrs Beaumont lends Henry a camera for his school project. Henry is disgusted that he's been put in a group with Jeffries, the son of a man who went AWOL, and Pip, who was born illegitimate; but he's about to learn that tolerance and friendship are more important than social stigmas.