Bert is the second oldest man in Britain, and a film is being made about his life and his village. He takes us back to the summer of 1914, when he was 12 years old.
It is January 1915; the Middleton farm has fallen on very hard times, and John is drinking heavily. A strange incident then takes place at the manor house.
Conscription is introduced for the first time in British history. Call up papers are delivered throughout the village, and soldiers requisition Big Molly.
Bert decides that winning the Rondo, an annual wheel barrow race on the cricket field, is a matter of life or death: if he wins, then Joe will be kept safe.
Joe's brief leave is over. He has tried hard to conceal his shell shock but Grace knows that something is wrong. Bert's actions have disastrous consequences for the family.
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.
Hankin opens a dance hall, and the villagers take their partners by the hands. Bert's childhood crush on Martha Allingham blinds him to the reality of Phoebe's affection for him.
Grace is inspired by Bill Gibby to take an interest in life beyond the confines of the village. John is finally making a success of their farm but starts to feel that Grace is growing away from him.
