Joseph is a young soldier, returning home traumatized following the Battle of Waterloo. With the war over, there is still unrest in the North of England, caused by the hardships of working people who suffer unemployment, bad harvests and restrictions on corn imports. As leading radicals are imprisoned, under the constant presence of the military, anti-government sentiment sets in, and Joseph alongside his family, join with thousands of citizens at the protest at St. Peter's Field.