Over 12 hours of intense and ground breaking drama from one of britains greatest living directors in loachs debut feature poor cow 1968 young mother joy carol white is forced to fend for herself when her brutal and uncaring husband tom john bindon is put in jail joy finds brief happiness with toms criminal associate dave terence stamp who proves kind and gentle when she moves in with him but this relationship ends when he is also jailed and joy is left to raise her young so