Its the summer of 1907, and cinema is in its infancy. In a northern industrial town two very different movie moguls are battling for the hearts, minds and purses of the local population. In this six-part drama, Timothy West stars as Frank Sheringham , an enterprising film-maker determined to woo audiences away from the local flea-pit run by the villainous Albert Gold. The whole town becomes involved in the vendetta and three local children are at the eye of the storm.