The London Dockland Development Corporation has been given a free hand by the government to regenerate the Docklands, but local people are suffering as compulsory purchase increases homelessness and few jobs have been created for them.
A story spanning three generations, from 1871 to 1945. When Gustav Wengler, a farmer’s son, returns from the Franco-German war in 1871, he goes to work for a precision mechanics and optical company, where he soon becomes a master craftsman.
Andy’s friends confront both their own mortality and the deadly new disease stalking their community, while his conservative family grapples with never having come to terms with his sexuality.