Set in 1939, THE DIG focuses on Basil Brown, an amateur archaeologist who works for Ipswich Museum on England’s eastern coast. Basil is hired by a wealthy, widowed landowner, Edith Pretty, to excavate the apparent funeral mounds on her large estate. Basil makes an incredible discovery when he uncovers an artifact-laden, royal burial ship from the Sixth Century. However, as World War II approaches, Basil gets pushed to the side when national experts from the British Museum arrive. Meanwhile, Edith, who has a cute young son, finds out she has a heart condition that could be fatal.