David Powlett-Jones, a young Welshman, returns from the trenches of World War I disillusioned and suffering from shellshock. Accepted as a teacher at an elite boys boarding school, David fears he won't last. Luckily, the faith of the headmaster who hired him proves well-founded. Over the course of his 20-year rise through the ranks of the school, he finds and loses love with several women.

How many miles to Babylon?: Two Irishmen -- Alex Moore (Day-Lewis), a Protestant, and his childhood friend Jerry, a Catholic, enter WWI as soldiers and see their friendship tested as they experience the harsh realities of war. The insurance man: Told through flashbacks, the story follows Franz, who recounts a mysterious skin condition he suffered as a factory worker before the First World War. At Prague's infamous Insurance Company, Franz meets Kafka...