This film, set in the industrial North of England in the nineteen fifties, opens in a school classroom where Mrs. Hardy has gone to fetch her son after the school day. She generally stops in to chat with his teacher, Miss Thompson, much to her husband’s displeasure when he comes home from the factory expecting to find food on the table.

Mrs. Hardy does her best to deflect her son’s questions about his schoolteacher, Miss Thompson. The boy enjoys school, but the idea that one day he’ll go to college to study art is not one his grandfather has any time for.

Having studied art herself, Miss Thompson sees great value in the talent for drawing shown by Mrs. Hardy’s young boy, and decides to give his work a chance at a local art exhibition.

It’s the weekend, and young Victor’s parents aren’t getting along well at home. It’s a relief when his mother takes the boy over to a friend’s house to play.

While Victor stays at his friend’s to play, his mother and aunty Alice walk in the sunshine. Alice, who will soon emigrate to Australia, accuses Mrs. Hardy of not being in touch with her true feelings, and is surprised by a revelation about her sister’s past.

Miss Thompson drops Mrs. Hardy and Victor off after an evening out, and Mr. Hardy is not happy with his wife. He has strong views about her spending time with an “educated” woman, and lets her know that.

Victor and his mother reluctantly accept a lift to an important meeting at the town hall, where some exciting news awaits the budding artist!

Mr. Hardy is quite hurt by Victor’s success and reacts angrily, accusing his wife of paying more attention to Miss Thompson than to him.

Shaken by her sister’s departure for Australia, Mrs. Hardy finds solace in her trips out with Miss Thompson and Victor, who are both looking forward to the school holidays.

Victor wants to borrow some photographs, so he and his mother stop by at Miss Thompson’s flat on their way back from a day out together.

As Victor chooses his photographs, Miss Thompson and Mrs. Hardy engage in a deep and wistful conversation about the choices they've made.

The Hardys come down for breakfast at their holiday accommodation, and Mr. Hardy is already in a very sour mood. Things do not improve when the family goes to the beach.

Woken in the night by a thunderstorm, Victor calls to his mother for reassurance and they talk about her unhappiness. Outside the school, after their holiday, they await the return of Miss Thompson from her summer break.

A shock awaits Victor and Mrs. Hardy when they visit the school headmaster in search of news about Miss Thompson.

Mrs. Hardy and Victor journey home, saddened and puzzled by Miss Thompson’s abrupt departure. Later, Victor plays with his friend Andy by the railway line, and they talk about their mothers and teachers.