Picks up where "Cranford" left off as Miss Matty (Dench) and her gossiping cronies enjoy the social life of their close-knit mid-Victorian-era village. However, inevitable progress is chugging along just outside of town as the railroad comes ever closer to linking Cranford to the wider world despite some community opposition. The usual mixture of reunions, romance, and tragedy also plays a part. Based on the stories by Elizabeth Gaskell.