In anguish about the religious turmoil it could cause, and the tension it creates with his wife, Charles Darwin is delaying completion of his masterwork On the Origin of Species. Taking pleasure in his childrens' interest in scientific truth, he is mindful of the disapproval of the village and does not want to incur the wrath of the whole world. But as his health, and that of his beloved daughter Anne, deteriorates, he finally realises he must press on, despite his wife's misgivings.