The Bargee

Hemel Pike and his cousin Ronnie begin their long canal voyage aboard a pair of working boats on the Grand Union Canal. They head toward Boxmoor, clinging to a traditional lifestyle even as traffic on the canals declines. Hemel also enjoys a reputation as a Don Juan, collecting girlfriends across the network while Ronnie watches enviously.

The brothers repeatedly encounter an inept mariner in a small pleasure craft who offers a running source of misadventure. Hemel and Ronnie have to negotiate the other boat as they press on along the Grand Union Canal. The farcical meetings underscore the stubborn, old-fashioned life they lead.

In Rickmansworth, Hemel visits one of his lovers, a barmaid named Nellie. She inadvertently learns about his other girlfriends and the encounter forces Hemel to make a quick exit. The visit highlights the tangled romantic web that surrounds Hemel.

Hemel and Ronnie reach Boxmoor and deliver their cargo, then set off with an empty barge toward Birmingham. The stop confirms their livelihood depends on the canal's diminishing traffic. It also foreshadows Hemel's continuing romantic entanglements as he re-encounters another girlfriend later.

While the journey continues, Hemel reconnects with another girlfriend along the route toward Birmingham. The pattern of multiple relationships remains part of his carefree canal life. Ronnie watches, wary of the consequences of Hemel's charm.

Hemel arrives at Leg O'Mutton Lock to meet Christine, the daughter of lock-keeper Joe Turnbull. Joe loathes the idea of his daughter becoming involved with a canal worker, setting up a family conflict. Ronnie distracts Joe by taking him to a pub so Hemel and Christine can be together unseen.

Christine worries about the canal lifestyle and urges Hemel to abandon the boat life for a land-bound future, including marriage. Hemel, however, is unsettled by the idea of settling down and refuses to abandon the canal. The pair's budding relationship persists under pressure.

Christine pleads with Hemel to leave the canal and find a land job, hoping for marriage and a stable home. Hemel resists, fearing the loss of his freedom and independence. Their conflict underscores the central tension between a nomadic canal life and a settled future.

After Hemel and Ronnie leave for Birmingham, Joe Turnbull learns that Christine is pregnant and that the father is a canal worker. Dismayed and angry, he drains the canal pound, padlocks the lock gates, and attaches a homemade bomb to deter traffic until the father comes forward. The move turns communal tension into a direct confrontation.

Hemel and Ronnie return, witnessing the commotion and Christine being harassed by locals. Hemel cannot hide the truth any longer and admits that he is the father of Christine's child. The confession settles the moral dilemma and forces a new path forward for the couple.

Joe allows Hemel to stay in the spare room while they plan a marriage, and Hemel attempts to find a job on land. He remains torn between his love for the canals and the lure of a conventional life. The limited opportunities on land highlight the pull of the canal world.

At the wedding reception, Christine reveals a gift: their boats have been renamed Hemel and Christine. Ronnie reveals that all working boats will be withdrawn from the canals in 18 months, prompting a plan to stay on the boats together. Christine agrees to live on the boats with Hemel and their baby until the withdrawal, preserving the family on the water.

The couple resolves to remain on the canal boats until the withdrawal, ensuring the family survives the end of the working-boats era. The decision reinforces the sense of tradition and belonging that frames Hemel's world. They envision a future where their child is raised within the canal community.