The Halfway House

As war rages, the inn's enigmatic proprietor Rhys seemingly materializes out of thin air and explains that he was expected. The different guests start arriving and registering, hinting at a shared, fated gathering. Oakley notes a long gap in the guestbook dated a year earlier, suggesting something uncanny is at work.

David Davies, a renowned orchestral conductor, is advised by his doctor to cancel his tour and rest before the inn's gathering. This personal crisis foreshadows the themes of pause and reevaluation that thread through the film. His choice to stay hints at deeper stakes behind the characters' wartime burdens.

In London, Richard French and his wife Jill argue over their young daughter Joanna, who overhears their discussion about divorce from outside. The argument exposes a fragile family unit seeking resolution even as it heads toward the inn. These private struggles set the emotional barometer for the gathering at the Halfway House.

At Parkmoor Prison, Captain Fortescue, a thief expelled from the service, is released. His return adds to the motley mix of guests who will be part of the inn's unfolding drama. The event hints at the blurred lines between guilt, punishment, and redemption that the narrative will interrogate.

In a Welsh port, Harry Meadows and his wife Alice quarrel over their deceased son, a victim of a U-boat attack. Their grief follows them to the inn, serving as a warning about how wartime loss weaves into intimate relationships. The quarrel frames personal tragedy against the larger war backdrop.

Black marketeer Oakley signs out from London as he heads off for fishing, adding another thread to the episode’s web of wartime activity. His departure underscores the diverging paths the guests take before gathering at the inn. The absence of his usual trickery foreshadows a chance for remorse and change.

Margaret and her Irish fiancé Terence travel from Bristol, facing the end of their relationship when Terence accepts a diplomatic post in Berlin. He seems oblivious to why she cannot embrace living in a country at war with Britain. The couple's breakup adds a note of personal sacrifice to the ensemble.

During the day, the inn's proprietor Rhys materializes and explains that everyone is there to pause and reconsider their lives. The explanation frames the gathering as a deliberate, otherworldly interlude rather than mere coincidence. The guests will be invited to face their past choices in the quiet of the inn.

Alice Meadows discovers there is no reflection of Rhys in a mirror, while outside the inn, Gwyneth casts no shadow and Joanna does. The eerie signs hint at the physical and moral anomalies the inn catalyzes as part of its experiment in pause and introspection.

Gwyneth tells David Davies that you're coming our way, a cryptic cue that someone in the group senses a shared fate. Davies understands, aligning with the inn's message and the night's turning point. The children become agents of reconciliation within the circle.

Joanna stages a fake near-drowning to reunite her parents, with Captain Meadows assisting. The scheme nearly goes awry, highlighting how fragile family ties can be under stress. The incident underscores the inn's role in testing and healing relationships.

Alice organises a seance to reach her son, but the husband disrupts it by turning on a radio program where serving soldiers send messages home. The transmission, initially deceptive, reveals itself as a real link to the warfront, bringing both comfort and heartache. The couple's bond is strained then restored as honesty replaces illusion.

Radio broadcasts from 1942 convince everyone that they have traveled a year back in time. Rhys explains their pause exists to help them reevaluate their lives. The subsequent air raid unfolds as he described, turning reflection into urgent action and resolve.

Richard French's concern for Jill and Joanna's safety reconciles the couple. Fortescue and Oakley repent their criminal ways, choosing better paths. Terence decides to join the British forces to fight Germany, aligning his future with the war effort.

Having learned their lessons, the guests leave the Halfway House behind as it lies demolished. The pause ends, and they take the hard-won insights back into their wartime lives, ready to face the conflict anew.