In his first film, Emmy award-winning director Luke Jeans captures the atmosphere of Southwold with evocative scenes of local people at work on sea and land, harvesting the barley and brewing Adnams ale, traditionally delivered by heavy horses. Stories are told of the Battle of Sole Bay, and the 1953 floods. To familiar tunes, Fairport Convention sing about John Barleycorn and the pleasures of the beautiful brew enjoyed in the local pub.

Formed in 1967, the outstanding British folk rock band Fairport Convention continue to tour and are the focus of an annual festival held at Cropredy. Their style has been influenced by changing band membership but Dave Pegg and Simon Nicol continue in the band, joined in 1996 by Chris Leslie who also contributed to this film. The drummer Bruce Rowland died in 2015 and fiddle player Dave Swarbrick died in 2016 (he was not at the filming in Southwold). Ursula Smith who is seen playing fiddle for the film was a member of the Third Ear Band and is best known as a cellist.