The eighteenth century was a time of turbulent change, mirrored in the lives of the inhabitants of No. 34. When James, the oldest son, is coerced into an unhappy marriage by an unscrupulous and 'fashionable' lady, he decides to 'make his soul' and takes to the road, encountering many a danger along the way until he is press-ganged into joining the Navy.Meanwhile, at No. 34 the residents are clawing their way out of the destruction that is 'fashionable society', inspired by the preaching of the influential Wesley brothers. Finally they seem at peace, but nothing can fill the void left by their missing son.