Midnight's smiling

Life runs smoothly for Dr George Cochrane on the edge of Pendleton, where he lives with his wife and their son, Michael. By day he tends the patients of the city's most deprived streets, visiting every shabby home and treating anyone, however poor. His warm but gruff manner earns him the affection of the whole community. When his wife dies, the household is never quite the same. Michael follows his father into medicine, yet he struggles to fill the gap left behind and always seems to stand in the shadow of his friend Harry. Harry is a brash, gifted man with his sights set on the very top, and the Second World War gives him the opening he needs. Few can compete with him. Watching from the sidelines is a younger rival, Michael's daughter Mel, who is patient and quietly determined. She regards Harry's drive and talent as something she can claim for herself.