This is a story of love between a father and son, and the son's search to find a woman with whom he can fall in love. It begins in 1933 and portrays the life of Tom, the son of warring parents in a Durham mining community, from just before he is four when memories linger hazily, through schooling, RAF, university and work, to middle age, where memories stay vividly. Two constants run through the narrative: the son's determination to be a vet and the father's constant support and encouragement. The daily grind of pit work and rows with his religious wife lead Tom's father to heavy bouts of drinking but his parents remain united in one aim: their son must never endure the hardship of working down the pit.