In this, the final part of the Cranehill Saga, we catch up with the descendants of two of Charles Dickens's characters from Oliver Twist: Nancy and Mr Bumble. Set in the modern day, they reside in a forgotten corner of South Wales, the old mining town of Blaenavon. Amongst the wreckage of industrial decline, the local community has turned away from the technological temptations of the 21^st century. Somehow, they have prospered, raising the suspicions of those in political power.

The narrator is a jaded, disillusioned journalist sent back to the land of his fathers to uncover the truth behind the rumours of fraud on a grand scale. Then a mining disaster invites unwelcome intrusion from the outside world, including the obligation to hold a massive benefit concert to raise funds. In the process, the narrator learns that the heart of real communication lies not with his literary skills, but with something far more basic.