It's 1929 and in semi-rural Yorkshire, Billy Henshaw, as honest and well-meaning as he may be, is one of the most accident-prone and naive people one could ever wish not to meet!

Orphaned at a young age and living with his mother's sister, Ivy, and her unforgiving husband, Jeremiah Unsworth, Billy is thrust to the fore of their family undertakers' business when his uncle dies in a tragic accident involving a brakeless hearse. Struggling through the hardships of the inter-war period, facing a tide of changing social mores, and living in each others' pockets doesn't always make for the easiest of times, but the dedicated duo give everything a thoroughly good go.

Amidst the day-to-day strife of laying out and planting Oldshaw's deceased, Billy's also nearing 30 and still unwed - despite his best efforts! It seems that many girls simply don't fancy stepping out with an undertaker.