A group of modern shopkeepers and their families live and trade through six key eras of history. They begin their journey in the 1870s, when the high street was born.

The shopkeepers move into the Edwardian era, where the butcher, the baker, the grocer and the ironmonger are joined by a dressmaker. Together they must provide a modern town with the exceptional service and luxuriant shop displays worthy of the Edwardians.

The shopkeepers move into the 1930s, where nostalgia boosts sales for the grocers, while the dressmaker attempts to sell thirties glamour to the town. A fierce rivalry builds between the grocers and the butchers, undermining the community spirit of the high street.

The families are challenged to trade for a week against the backdrop of the Second World War. Rationing, coupons and identity cards bring home the difficult realities of life on the home front for the grocers, while the dressmaker and the blacksmith try to convince the residents of Shepton Mallet of the merits of 1940s-style recycling. However, the retailers face stiff competition as stock shortages mean their customers could be tempted to turn to the black market for their supplies.

The traders are propelled headlong into the 1960s, a new era for retail that sees each of their businesses undergo radical transformations. The bakers find themselves running a milk bar, and the dressmaker switches professions to become a hairdresser. Meanwhile, the butcher and his son become hardware specialists, and enter into competition with the grocers, whose shop has turned into a self-service paradise along the lines of a modern-day supermarket.

It's the end of the journey for the shopkeepers and their customers as they move into the 1970s.