Two secret tapes from the attic….One painful confession from the grave.

The stakes are high. He could lose everything. His boat, his house, his wife. Just like the ebbing tide, time is also running out for trawler skipper, Tom. He must set sail within the next thirty-six hours before the long Christmas lay-off and start paying off his mountain of debt.

Two long years have now passed since the sinking of his fishing boat, Dorothy Hood.

For Tom, it's been a period of great personal and financial upheaval. To say he is broke would be an understatement.

But thanks to the insurance money, a generous EEC grant and a huge bank loan, he has just taken delivery of his brand new, £180,000 state-of-the-art trawler, Dorothy Hood MBE.

But before he can go fishing he has to get the boat and her crew shipshape.

Then there's the small matter of the celebratory welcome-home party for his new vessel. Just a few friends and well-wishers in his local pub. Very low key, just a couple of beers with a few peanuts and crisps.

Unfortunately, his wife, Debbie, has other plans. Expensive plans.

This, however, is the very least of his worries. Other far more serious problems are looming dark on the horizon.

A broken radar, the sudden loss of a crewman, another sustaining serious injuries requiring hospital treatment, not to mention Debbie`s increasingly confrontational behaviour, and his ever-present concern about Fred`s mental health are plunging Tom into the depths of despair.

As if all this isn`t enough to contend with, the accidental discovery of two old reel-to-reel tapes from the past turns his and his father`s worlds upside down.

What dark, hidden secrets do the tapes reveal?

Can Tom and Fred come to terms and deal with the devastating revelations now thrust upon them?

With stormy winter weather never very far away, and Tom`s own mental health spiralling downwards, can he find the strength within to overcome all the obstacles in his path?

Will the Dorothy Hood MBE finally set sail on her maiden voyage?

This isn't just another British family saga. It`s a story about new beginnings for a skipper, his crew, their families and his boat.

Or about the challenges they face in an uncertain future.

It's also about acceptance and moving on. Coming to terms with and embracing the past.