In a small Victorian fishing village on the coast of Yorkshire, we meet the working-class Hardacre family: easy-going Sam and eldest son Joe are dockers, while his fiery wife Mary, rebellious daughter Liza and formidable mother-in-law Ma are fish gutties. Their youngest son, Harry is the brightest of the bunch. He has cerebral palsy and still attends school. Despite the relentless graft of dock work, made only harder by their odious boss Mr Shaw, the Hardacres are the heart of a loyal and decent community, surrounded by friends with indomitable spirits.

But after an unfortunate accident befalls Sam, the family lose their jobs at the docks and must race to find work elsewhere– or else end up on the street. Mary, Ma and Liza venture to the gilded halls of country estate Thornton Hall in search for work but are met with judgement and doors slammed in their faces. Ma leads Liza down a risky path, much to her mother's chagrin, but Liza soon finds that the smuggling life isn't as romantic as it sounded. Meanwhile Joe is wracked with guilt for a decision made on the docks.

Faced with destitution, resourceful Mary comes up with a novel business idea and the family manage to turn their fortunes around. The Hardacres' new business prospers and thanks to the financial advice of the charming Mr Saunders, they make what turns out to be a very lucky investment. The family find themselves rich beyond their wildest dreams with the chance to move into one of the finest houses in the county. But are they ready to leave the docks and their community behind?

Sam is hopeful that his latest venture on the docks will not only help his old friends but also give Joe some much-needed purpose. Saunders laments Sam's impulsive purchase, especially upon discovering the poor state of the business and that it is encumbered by a controlling Board. Nevertheless Sam steams ahead, and makes Joe a manager, along with old pal Fred. Joe struggles to get to grips with his new responsibilities, and is jealous of Fred, feeling very much in his shadow. Joe's temper eventually gets the better of him, leading to a poor decision that will plague his conscience.

Mary and Sam mask their nerves as Harry sets off to a prestigious boarding school, but Mary quickly finds distraction in a surprising proposition from Lady Emma and Adella. Mary is swept up into a whirl of preparations for her first real society party, with Liza reluctantly roped into providing the musical entertainment, alongside Adella. It's hard to say who is more unimpressed out of the two of them, but an unlikely friendship begins to form, in spite of their poor first impressions of each other. Ma, meanwhile, has a party of her own to host, and sparks begin to fly between her and the handsome groundskeeper, Victor.

In spite of Mary's careful preparations under Emma's watchful eye, and the moral support of old friends Lena and Betsy from the docks, the tea party doesn't go to plan. Liza resents being paraded in front of the society ladies. Tensions below stairs lead to a disaster in the kitchen, forcing Mary to think quickly and save the day with a uniquely Hardacre plan…