Joe's brief leave from the front has come to an end. He has tried hard to conceal his shell shock from the family, but Grace knows that something is badly wrong.

It is 1920; the war is over, and the village tries to come to terms with its loss. The date of the unveiling of the war memorial draws close and, as the inhabitants debate how best to honour their dead, divisions open up at the heart of the community.

Bert is accused of cheating in the annual village race. It's the word of a farmer's boy against that of a peer of the realm. The Middletons need the money and Grace is not afraid of a fight.