In our story, Nelson is played by two people simultaneously, a boy and a man, so we can see both his instinctive reactions and his measured responses. The man is his conscience, the boy his truth. We meet the boy first, as Nelson joins the navy at the age of 12 - alone, afraid, but already very able.

 

This scene is a flashback - the first of many, for the show actually takes place in real-time on the day of the Battle of Trafalgar: the day Nelson died.

 

We follow him through the day, and as we do so, we also follow a gun crew below decks. Samuel Miller is excited to have received a letter from home. 'Molly', who is the same age as Nelson was when he joined up, is desperately trying to keep up with everyone. George F. Herbert has a secret to keep. John Harris ribs Joshua Brown about his love for his girlfriend, and John Jamieson tries to keep them all alive.

 

As Nelson struggles to run his private life as successfully as he runs a ship, the men below decks try to focus on the battle rather than on home. They must all prepare themselves for the possibility that they will make the ultimate sacrifice; for their country, for their loved ones, for each other. One question plagues them all...