Specially commissioned drama penned by the late award-winning writer Alan Plater. In the last days of peace before the Second World War, shipyard worker Joe Maddison finds himself at a crossroads. Just days after his daughter Sheila's wedding, Joe's wife Polly unexpectedly leaves him for a young naval officer and for the first time in his life he is totally alone. A decorated veteran of the First World War, he is too old to join up again. To deal with his feelings of emasculation and of being past his prime, Joe decides to take on a new challenge, so he and his friend Harry volunteer for the Home Guard. The decision leads Joe on a journey of self-discovery and he learns some life lessons in courage and friendship - and also finds new love with a woman named Selina. But just as he is getting settled, Polly reappears on the scene and Joe is forced to choose between his new life and the one he left behind.