Jack Munday has been fighting all his life. His early memories are from the boxing ring, but since then he has grown numb, scarred by his bullying father and haunted by the tragic fate of his first love. Caught up in the austerity of post-war London, Jack is now a grafting boxing manager in search of a break. His old haunts of Peckham and Camberwell are an unwelcome reminder of his oppressive past; so too is the crumbling family home he still shares with his invalid sister, Pearl. So when hope and ambitio appear in the form of young hopeful Frank, Jack seizes his chance.