"The Fallow Land" is a radio adaptation of H.E. Bates' novel, set in the English Midlands around the time of World War I. The story follows Deborah Loveday, who marries Jess Mortimer, only for him to abandon her for a life of recklessness. Left behind, Deborah dedicates herself to working the farm alongside Mortimer’s father, raising her troubled sons, Benjamin and David, with resilience and determination.