Up in the Yorkshire mining towns of 1960s Britain, a little hope was a dangerous thing. Social disintegration and disenchantment taught you to accept your lot; or else get the spirit kicked out of you. Yes, back then, life was certainly grim up North… Especially for our hero; streetwise school-kid Billy Casper. Emotionally neglected – bullied at school and at home – his is a pretty bleak existence; smoking, cadging money and getting into scraps…Until, that is, Kes comes along. Kes is a kestrel that Billy rears and trains; Kes is hope. Together, their friendship shines amid the gloom; but how long can it last…?