Robert Carne, faced with the declining fortunes of Maythorpe Hall and the rising costs of the Harrogate nursing home, and Fred Mitchell, unemployed with a pregnant wife, have one thing in common - a desperate need for money. For Joe Astell the only answer lies in social revolution, but time is running out for them - for Alfred Huggins, Gertie Holly, and certainly for Lily Sawdon. Only for Sarah Burton does time, for a moment, stand still.