Episode 1

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.

Episode 2

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.

Episode 3

Conscription is introduced for the first time in British history. Call up papers are delivered throughout the village, and soldiers requisition Big Molly.

Episode 4

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.

Episode 5

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.

Episode 6

The war is over, and the village tries to come to terms with its loss. The debate over how best to honour their dead divides the community.