Growing up in the bomb ravaged setting of London's east end, just after World War 2, young Tony Selby's parents want a better life for their son. His ex-RAF father plans to get Tony into higher education and lift him out of the poverty that surrounds. But his uncle has plans for the boy to join him in a lucrative criminal life. The scene is set for a story of crime, love, betrayal and revenge, as Tony's life unfolds into adulthood.