Ted Raleigh lives with his mother in the Midlands town of Howerton. It is 1975, Howerton is not a prosperous or attractive place to live. Much of it is run down and many parts are still wrecked and derelict as a result of damage caused in World War 2. Ted's summer holidays are very much improvised, money is tight and he and his mum can't afford to go away as most of his friends do. This summer Ted will go off and do what he likes best, exploring the derelict industrial parts of the town, but this time he will discover something that will change his life.