With the war over, the two friends go their separate ways--Deasey to his family, and Dobson to some shady new acquaintances. For both men, the lure of the footlights proves impossible to resist.

Deasey is burning the candle at both ends. His problem is "solved" when he loses his day job. Now the double act has to decide whether or not to take the ultimate step--risk all and go professional.

"Deasey & Dobson" get a three-week booking in Liverpool for an audience so hostile they don't just send complaints, they make threats. Meanwhile, Janet Deasey finds a little spice in her own life.

Tensions mount with Deasey out of work and no prospect of a breakthrough on the stage. Deasey turns to a glamorous young dancer--and "Deasey & Dobson" becomes "Ian & Hedda," with disastrous results.

The two friends at last get their big chance: an audition with the BBC. But for Deasey, success comes at a price as his wife takes up with a local doctor and he succumbs to the charms of Hedda Kennedy.

It looks like the final curtain call for the duo's stage act. Dobson makes a drastic life change, and Deasey takes the only real option left open to him.