Huckleberry no Bōken

The first film looks at the life of Kenneth Widmerpool, a tubby, much-teased boy at school who is to grow into a determined influence on his friends. Among these friends is Nicholas Jenkins, who is having an adulterous affair.

Firebrand Labour leader Michael Murray is swept into office on a tide of rhetoric. His first act is to "reform education", but it looks suspiciously like a personal vendetta against Mr. Weller, the headmaster who had once sent him, as a boy, to a special school for disturbed children. When Murray is summoned by the renowned political theorist, Mervyn Sloan, he is told that great things are expected of him. But Sloan also firmly insists that a general strike be called in Murray's city to challenge the Conservative Government. When one of Murray's council members, who has a weakness for the bottle, fails to ensure pickets are sent to one particular school, a disastrous conflict ensues between Murray and Jim Nelson, who is unfortunately headmaster of a school for special needs children.

1904: Annie Kenney - a mill worker since the age of ten. What has Women's Suffrage to offer her?

WWII has broken out and Nick Jenkins is in the army, leaving behind his wife Isobel, who is expecting their first child. Meanwhile, Kenneth Widmerpool makes the most of his connections and soon rises through the ranks to enjoy power and prestige. This episode also sees the arrival of Pamela Flitton, a dangerously beautiful woman who can cast a spell on all the men she meets - even the normally cool-headed Widmerpool.

1908: Constance Lytton : daughter of the Viceroy of India, she came from one of the leading families in the land. Almost any door was open for her.

A decade has passed. Nick and his wife Isobel have moved to the country. Widmerpool has become a Labour MP and is dabbling in Eastern European politics. His wife Pamela is behaving even more outrageously, and gossip surrounding her bizarre sex life is raging.

1914: War is declared, and women still do not have the vote.

June and Annie gets a letter from an old friend asking if she and Peter would like to write an article on Provence for her magazine. They soon realize that they need an angle or a human interest story to make their article more interesting.

The heat of August proves to a bit much but in the village on a Sunday afternoon, the Mayles learn there is to be the annual goat race. They get a hot tip and decide to take a bit of a flutter. Peter also decides to challenge the village champion at boules but he and Annie proves to be less than good at the game.

October: The Mayle's kitchen remains unfinished and Zanetti the carpenter hasn't returned for a month. It finally dawns on him that the man has probably been snatched by Madame Hermonville but all they end up with is an invitation to a party for her visiting Parisian friends.

November: Annie has been giving English lesson to the local school children twice a week so is distressed when she reads in the local newspaper that the school may be forced to shut its doors.

December arrives and the Mayles are now approaching their first anniversary in Provence. Annie however is fed up at the never finished work in their house.