Big Ideas

In this prequel by 55 years to Second Wind, Jack ‘Hutch’ Hutchins is a maintenance engineer in a Yorkshire woollen mill. It is 1935, the lowest point of the great Depression, and the textiles industry, like many others, is struggling to survive.

Hutch knows that the mill will soon close, and he will be unemployed, but his heart is set on following his friend Norman Barraclough’s example, and becoming a professional dance band musician.

He makes the journey to London, where he intends to fulfil his dream. Before long, Norman leaves his job on the RMS Duchess of Lancaster and joins him. Together they defy the odds stacked against their success. If they are to triumph, they will need all their ability and a great deal of luck. Romance also has its part to play in their story.