When Coral Davis goes into labour with her third child, she and Doug are determined to have a natural birth. But it’s Saturday afternoon in a city maternity hospital, and a young registrar, Frank Harrison, is the only doctor with full obstetrics training on duty. The baby is slow in coming, and the foetal heart monitor shows signs of distress. But Harrison has been called away to an emergency. The midwife knows exactly what should happen, yet when Harrison returns, he has other ideas.

The birth turns into a nightmare – for Coral, for the baby, and for the registrar. With an impending Medical Tribunal hearing, Harrison realises that he must face the truth and the judgement of the law. Most of the characters in this film are portrayed by actors, but some hospital staff play themselves, and the members of the legal profession are all practicing solicitors and barristers.