Gordon Jackson is the son of a farmer, and of a long line of farmers, going back to the '45. But he wants to build ships. His father doesn't like this, but his grandmother backs him. Off he goes to Glasgow, where he starts at the bottom. And for thirty minutes he stays stuck there, until his boss's boss hears about his complaints, and back him in training. After he graduates with honors, he's given his big chance to design a cruise ship. All the fuddy-duddies harrumph, but the big bosses back him, and the even the naysayers want to shake his hand. He's also in love with his boss's daughter, Rona Anderson, and she with him. But given his background he can't do anything about it. And, as his ship is about to go down the ways, he disappears from the yards, because his old girlfriend, Elizabeth Sellars, decides to sink her claws into him.
It's one of those movies about how bright young men are being given their chances in the brave new world of post-war Britain, no matter how humble their origins. The cast is sprinkled with fine actors, and everyone does a fine job. The problem is that this is set up as a formula picture, with much of the important stuff taking place off screen: the training, the time spent working on the plans, and so forth. Jackson is fine, and so is Miss Anderson: so much so they married two years later and stayed together until his death in 1990 at the age of 66. But if you're expecting more than a tale of Youth Triumphant Because Youth Is Wise, you'll be disappointed in a well made picture.
