RAF officers Susan and Mark and a young ferryman, Robert, steer their different ways through their different lives. Susan tries to focus on her career, while Mark's priority is Susan. The death of Susan's father throws the couple's relationships out of kilter, and Robert ploughs on across the river, questioning his feelings.
On January 31st 1953 the disastrous East Coast floods change the shape of the estuary overnight. The ensuing devastation brings new challenges, new opportunities, new decisions.