Daybreak

An aging hangman breaks down at the prospect of performing his last execution before retirement. He begins narrating his life to the governor, and the bulk of the story unfolds as a long flashback. Many scenes play out without him, keeping his presence off-screen for much of the plot.

Eddie Mendover runs a barber shop in Gravesend while secretly serving as England's official hangman. The public sees him as a normal tradesman, but he is periodically summoned to prisons to carry out executions. His side gig forms a chilling undercurrent to his otherwise ordinary life.

Eddie makes a claim against the estate of Mr Tribe, a Thames barge owner, insisting he is the son. With little documentation, a bargeman friend identifies him for a price, and a solicitor accepts the story as sufficient. The result is an inheritance of 15 barges and a sizeable fortune.

In a rainy Gravesend evening, Eddie meets Frankie, a bedraggled woman with a shadowy past. They fall in love quickly, and he reveals the Tribe name as the key to his identity. They marry, and Eddie hands his barber shop to Ron before moving aboard a barge with Frankie.

Eddie hires Olaf, a Danish seaman, to work on the business. Olaf openly flirts with Frankie, and though she is tempted, she remains loyal as Eddie travels to other towns for prison obligations. The strain grows as Eddie keeps his secret life hidden.

Frankie pleads with Eddie to come with her, or to stay, when he is summoned away. Unable to take her with him, Eddie leaves her in the care of Shackle the bargeman, who cannot stay due to prior commitments. Olaf uses the quiet nights to make himself at home in Frankie's cabin, drinking and waiting for an opportunity.

When Eddie returns unexpectedly, he finds Frankie and Olaf in a compromising situation. A fight erupts, and Eddie is knocked overboard and fails to resurface. The police arrive on the scene, and Olaf is arrested for murder.

In despair, Frankie shoots herself and dies. The tragedy compounds the shock of Eddie's disappearance and Olaf's arrest. The events change the future of those tied to the barges.

Eddie crawls ashore the next morning, surprisingly alive, and makes his way back to his barber shop to clean up. He keeps his survival a secret while the world assumes his death at sea. The town begins to believe the murder narrative.

A customer brings a newspaper in, and the story of Eddie's murder and Frankie’s suicide is already printed. The sensational report shocks the community and unsettles Ron, who still does not know Eddie's true identity. The double life remains hidden from most people.

Olaf is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, as the authorities connect him to Eddie's disappearance. The consequences reach across the barge community and call into question the truth of Eddie's roles. The case intensifies the mystery surrounding Tribe.

Eddie is summoned to carry out the execution, seeing it as a chance to avenge Frankie. He ultimately cannot go through with it and confesses his identity to the prison staff. He decides not to become the executioner of Olaf and instead returns to the barber shop.

Ron remains unaware of Eddie's alter ego as Tribe and of his marriage to Frankie. The truth is kept hidden from the only close confidant and explains the subtle tensions that persist throughout the story. It is only a thread that remains unseen.

The next morning, Ron discovers Eddie's dangling body in the barber shop and dials 999. The cycle ends with the hangman-turned-tragic figure dead and the town left to reckon with his double life.