After a tough tour of duty as an RAF conscript, Eugene returns home from war-ravaged Burma. He is unexpectedly excluded from the family business and sets out to succeed in business by exploiting the opportunities that present themselves in post-war Britain.

For all his success Eugene still mourns the loss of the beautiful young Burmese nurse named Chit, who tenderly nurtured him back to life. Their relationship was brutally shattered when he was dragged away from her, arrested for fraternising with a local. Eugene is forced to make a life-changing decision - marry Chit, face court martial and a possible death sentence, or return home. Not knowing whether he'll ever see his first love again?

Eugene is driven to succeed but family tragedies ensue - his older brother commits suicide and his brother-in-law is killed in a mining accident. Eugene finds himself thriving at a time when the rest are going to wrack and ruin. But greed and self-interest take their toll and disintegration looms.