Inspired by his great-grandfather, Ed embarks upon writing a serious social history book.

Ed realises that one of the pleasures of being at university is that he can use his time to write about whatever takes his fancy. So it is that he embarks upon a definitive piece of social history about the workhouse, inspired by his own great-grandfather who, as an inmate, suffered at the hand of the terrifying Beadle.

It seems too that history might be repeating itself when Ed discovers that his grandson, Smile, is suffering certain terrors of his own as he may be being bullied at nursery.