Yorkshire, England 1952 Ruth Ackroyd leaves the monotony of her work at her father's textile mill on a Friday evening and secretly takes the train to Manchester. There, she meets a man on the platform, but all is not what it seems.

Sydney Fox is a professor and globe-trotting "relic hunter" who looks for ancient artifacts to return to museums and/or the descendants of the original owner. She is aided by her linguistic assistant Nigel and occasionally by her somewhat air-headed secretary Claudia. She often ends up battling rival hunters seeking out artifacts for the money.

Danielle, a vibrant young woman is forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother Rodmilla is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.

It was on the bloody battlefield of Hastings in 1066 that William, Duke of Normandy, defeated and killed the gallant but battle-weary Harold II of England. From that day on, England would never be the same: uprisings in the north were mercilessly crushed and a new ruling class of Norman barons was gradually established. This programme paints a unique portrait of a man who was at once a great warrior and a ruthless poliotician and statesman. Architect of the Domesday book and builder of countless beautiful churches and castles, William the Conqueror's reign truly shaped the future of the nation.