England in the 1920s. A stranded Pierrot theatrical group is taken up by the shy but courageous Miss Trant, the Colonel's daughter, joined by a Man of Letters, the talented and charming disreputable Mr Inigo Jollifant and lent a hand by the laconic Mr Jess Oakroyd from Bruddersfield.
The show is renamed as 'The Good Companions' and we follow the troupe's antics on the road, sharing in their disappointments and successes, their fears and ambitions, as the motley crew sing, squabble, drink and dance their way through the English countryside, from theatre to theatre in the world of seaside boarding-houses, market fairs and catchpenny shows.