 Amidst the pub sing-songs and bombsites and with slums giving way to high-rise flats, life in Bethnal Green is changing for the Flints. Dad may decide to quit the docks and their daughter wants a new home with her husband and expected baby. Son Ricky is dissatisfied with his lot and equally eager to get away. Involved with a planned robbery of the cigarette factory where he works, his life becomes even more complicated when he gets involved with quirky Catherine.