1953年的夏天，晚年丘吉尔遭受了一次危及生命的中风。党中觊觎首相之位的人蠢蠢欲动，他的家人也望其退位安享晚年。而丘吉尔本人，仍然希望自己以首相身份参加国际会议，为世界和平作出最后一次努力。
　　Set during the summer months of 1953 Churchill—now Prime Minister for the second time and in his late 70’s—suffers a life-threatening s troke, which is kept secret from the world.
　　Told from the viewpoint of his young Nurse, Millie Appleyard, the drama follows his battle to recover as his long suffering wife Clemmie desperately hopes the stroke will force Winston to retire while his political friends and foe scheme to plot who will succeed him.
　　Meanwhile his adult children descend on Chartwell, unsure if he will pull through, as tensions within his family begin to surface.