When the Boat Comes In

Jack is finding his feet and his form again. MArgaret Carter-Brown, a 'scocial commentator' meets Jack and he shows her how the depression affects families in Gallowshields and the misery it causes. At the Master Shipbuilder's Dinner, Jack discusses as Argentinitan deal which would revive the shipyard.

After 6 years in the United States, Jack Ford returns in an unexpected style. By chance, he meets Canon Penfold who recommends hostel lodgings for him, but after a nasty experience with a sadistic roommate and numerous drinking binges, Jack realises that he has reached rock bottom. His luck is about to change when he bumps into a friend from New York.

Jack comes back to Gallowshield to seek help from an old friend but is shocked to hear of Matt Headley's death. He receives a cool welcome from Sarah, Matt's widow, who begrudingly offers to give him temporary lodgings. Jack feels that Sarah's brother is hiding something and sets out to discover what it is.

Jack is back to ducking and diving and buying fire damaged bankrupt stock from the South Americans for Sarah to sell. He has also found romance with Margaret, the well-bred socialist.

Jack is visited by a former schoolmate who is in touch with Bill Pierce, Matt's nephew, now a brilliant law student at Oxford and in financial trouble. Bill is heavily in debt and considers dropping out of his course to take manual work with his girl-friend's father but Jack loans him the money he needs, attracting the attention of Mrs. Laurence's niece Imogen Lorrimer, who is visiting from London.

Jack has been living in London for three years with Imogen, but, despite still having feelings for him, she leaves him to avoid scandal. The Tyneside hunger marchers arrive in town as Jack, tipped off by Geordie Watson that there is North Sea oil, buys cheap land in Gallowshield to sell to the interested company. At a toga party for the hunger marchers Jack meets Jessie, still married to Arthur and with three children, but seeing upper class socialist Robin Cunningham. She opposes his land deal but Jack buys her silence by threatening to tell Arthur about Robin.

Having made a huge sum from his deal with the oil company, Jack is mixing in London high society. He is asked by his land agent to help him broker the sale of an expensive necklace to Morty, Jack's old American colleague, on behalf of wealthy Philip Martin, with a commission for them both. Martin's sister Jane takes a shine to Jack but proves to be an unbalanced psychiatric case. The sale goes ahead and when Jack learns that Morty paid off the mobsters who were threatening him he waives his half of the price.

Lady Caroline invites Jack to visit her back in Gallowshield. He finds Sarah about to marry Stan Liddell, who is involved in anti-Fascist politics as the Blackshirts whip up hysteria against Jews. Jack steps in to help persecuted shop-keeper Manny Goldstein before attending a function given by Lady Caroline's husband, Edward Mostyn, who hates Fascists. Jack tells Smith-Jameson just what he thinks of him and walks out, supported by socialist guest Tania Corley. Before returning to London he buys Manny's shop so that, when Fascist thugs attack it, he forces Smith-Jameson to pay Manny full compensation or risk prosecution.

Jack is dating Tania, whose mother, the communist Lady Leamington, gives a party to raise funds for the victims of Franco in the Spanish civil war. At his London practice Billy treats Bob Randall, son of Jack's old army sergeant Fred, wounded fighting for the Spanish Republicans. Aware that Jack considers himself in debt to Fred, who once saved his life, Jessie and Billy get Fred to act as go-between in persuading Jack to smuggle guns past Franco's blockade to help the Republicans. With Tania, Jessie - who has left Arthur - Billy and Left Wing journalist Nigel Scott-Palliser, Jack sets sail under the guise of a pleasure cruise.

Jack learns that Scott-Palliser is planning to have him arrested for gun-running. He sends Tania home and gets the ship's captain to put ashore elsewhere to avoid the Nationalist gunboat, taking loyal ship's steward Raoul Savory with him. Jessie is shocked to discover that Scott-Palliser has been financed by Stalin's government and plans to give the guns to the Communists and not the Socialists, whom he sees as traitors. Whilst keeping it from him she and Jack talk over old times. Raoul, however, learns of Scott-Palliser's deceit and diverts the Communist convoy though Scott-Palliser escapes. Jack, Jessie, Billy and Raoul outrun Franco's Moorish cavalry to get the guns through to the Socialists but Scott-Palliser is lying in wait for Jack...