Nellie Pickersgill is a strong willed woman, and hater of strong drink. In spite of this, she leaves her home in Bolton, and moves to London to help her father Jed to run his pub The Brown Cow. Jed spends his time propping up the bar, gambling and groping passing females. Nellie disapproves of her father's lifestyle choices as she does of the loose women employed as barmaids and the assortment of odd characters who frequent the pub.