Following in the footsteps of J.B. Priestley, whose book English Journey told the tale of his 1934 voyage, Hunter Davies embarks upon an epic journey at the end of the century. He spends a year travelling from London to the Lake District, observing the people and places of England today and noting the mood of the English nation at the end of the millennium. It is also a journey into his own life, as he recalls incidents and people from his past.