A demobbed serviceman finds that his village has fallen on hard times. With the help of family, friends and the villagers he enters his boat in a yacht race. Winning will mean orders for new boats and life for the village.

In the late 19th century, on board a ship sailing from Jamaica to England, Olivia Harwood, a recent widow, takes on the task of caring for several malaria patients, including Mark Bellis, a mysterious and tormented painter.