In a small town somewhere in the heart of England, the aftermath of the Second World War brings change. For ambitious and expansive industrialist Charles Freeman, it brings new opportunities and marriage to Mary. He buys the big house on the hill to cement their union and to nail his aspirations to the future.

In quick succession, three sons and a daughter bring life to the big house and with it, the seeds of joy and tragedy. As his children grow up, Charles' business expands in direct proportion to his girth as Britain claws its way from the grey austerity of the war years.

As times change, so do the family's fortunes for better and for worse, ebbing and flowing with the years. Their stories create a powerful and resonant epic, nothing less than the story of our lives.