Albert Courtnay, a well-meaning 24 year-old Northerner has moved from his home and family to the bright lights of London, where he lodges with a Mrs. McKewan and her daughter, and works as a salesman for a confectionery company, Tomlinson's Toffee.

He finds his new life slightly bewildering and, aspiring to much greater things, when writing regular letters home to his mother Albert constantly embellishes his daily routine to make his life sound somewhat more exciting and successful than it really is. Just how far can he divorce fact from fiction?