Cullercoats and North Shields are two communities which live cheek by jowl on the North East coast of England. They're communities dominated by the changing moods of the North Sea. In a period which included the postponement of the General Election; the UK screening of the NBC drama series Holocaust; and Muhammad Ali regaining the Heavyweight Championship of the World from Leon Spinks, we see the way in which these national and international issues interact with ordinary people's struggle to win a decent livelihood from the sea.