The film is a poetic journey along the Quay, the camera exploring its monumental bridges, offices and warehouses, as voices from the past recall the once momentous life of the area. Once the city's commercial centre, its solid Victorian architecture was lined up for the developer's hammer.

The work coincided with a change in public attitudes to urban redevelopment. Prince Charles was campaigning in the same territory and the new Conservative government effectively brought the city's plans for a 'Milan of the North' to a halt. Across the road from Side Gallery, Cinema and Cafe, a concrete walkway stops abruptly in mid-air, indicating the direction of the intended demolitions.