It tells the story of the Great Train Robbery on 8 August 1963, first from the perspective of the robbers, and then from the perspective of the police. Episode one, "A Robber's Tale" details the organisation of and successful completion of the robbery. Episode two, "A Copper's Tale" follows the police investigation into the crime and subsequent arrest of many of the perpetrators. Coincidentally, the first part, "A Robber's Tale", was shown on the same day that train robber Ronnie Biggs died.