A reluctant politician finds himself returning to a city he believed he had escaped from long ago. Sadly, one tragic incident creates a domino effect that results in his family being torn asunder. To protect those he cares about, he must cast aside his conscience to protect his family from his own mistakes.

SYNOPSIS:

A reluctant politician finds himself returning to a city he believed he had escaped from long ago. Sadly, one tragic incident creates a domino effect that results in his family being torn asunder. To protect those he cares about, he must cast aside his conscience to protect his family from his own mistakes.

Bernard Carlisle is a wealthy entrepreneur in pre-World War I England, who along with his wife Winfred, dream of a world better than the one they currently live in. To remedy this situation, Bernard with the backing of his influential wife, runs and wins a seat in Parliament.

The newfound attention that public life presents in London, brings scrutiny from even his allies, as calls for war abroad and unity at home, interfere with the suffragette movement of which he and his wife are notably and admirably a part of. Bernard finds himself in an uphill battle as he struggles to uproot the wrongs of his own society, while calling for peace abroad, which at the time, are both unpopular stances.

To make matters worse, Bernard’s oldest daughter Elizabetha finds herself in a whirlwind romance with a farm hand named Thomas Fairbanks, who subsequently gets her pregnant. Upon finding this out, Bernard along with his youngest daughter Persephone confront the young man in an alleyway only to accidentally murder him. To hide their crime, they bury him near their old residence.

The crime and coverup begin to weigh on both, resulting in their relationship with each other and the others in the family becoming strained. When Winfred insists Elizabetha abort the baby to preserve the family’s reputation, Bernard sends his daughter away to an unknown location for fear that his wife might do something regrettable.

Winfred’s active participation in the suffragette movement results in Bernard’s allies turning against him. After she is arrested during one of the suffragette rallies, Bernard finds himself the subject of blackmail by a police officer who has information connecting Bernard’s son Briggs to Thomas’s murder. In order to keep the officer quiet about the information and the arrest of Winfred, Bernard agrees to under the table monthly payments to the officer.

A new reality sets in when Elizabetha, who now has a newborn arrives back in their London manor. Sadly, the discovery of Thomas' body, results in Briggs being marked for execution by Thomas's father. While unsuccessful in his attempt at murder, Briggs' fiance is gunned down while he is gravely injured.

Upon learning of Thomas' body being found, the police officer blackmailing Bernard insists on a higher monthly payment. Realizing that this will have no end, Bernard murders the police officer and buries him underneath the cellar in his London home.

Upon learning of the news that her beloved Thomas was murdered Elizabetha commits suicide, momentarily uniting the family in grief. However, that is short lived when at her funeral Briggs' is arrested for Thomas's murder.

The trial turns political when Bernard's allies sway the jury to convict Briggs after Bernard refuses to step down. Compelled to save his son from a death sentence, Bernard goes to stand up but before he can, Persephone admits to the murder. After deliberating, the judge releases Briggs' from his former sentence and directs the bailiff to arrest Persephone.

The trial makes Bernard a social pariah, forcing Winfred to decide to end their marriage. Two years later she finds love with one of Bernard's former political allies. However, in an act of revenge, Bernard tips the police off to where the body is buried. After finding the long deceased policeman, Winfred and her new fiancé are arrested, leaving only Bernard with his memories and broken dreams of a life not well spent.