David and Hilary Body dream of creating a new life in France with their two daughters. As they plan to run barge holidays on the French canals, they're renovating a rusty old cargo vessel, with a view to it becoming the family home in winter and a much-needed source of income in the summer. Will they escape the daily grind, or will their plans of leaving Essex run aground?

The family bought a run-down Dutch barge, Lotte, for £120,000, and have already spent £30,000 on getting her seaworthy. This means that they have just £20,000 to finish the renovation. If that wasn't difficult enough, winter is setting in - and their teenage daughters, Sophie and Katy, are getting fed up of life without central heating and other creature comforts on a muddy mooring in Essex.

In order to get the boat ready for the summer season, the Bodys end up relying on the proceeds from the sale of some possessions on the internet. However, when the weather takes a turn for the worse, their dream of crossing the Channel hangs in the balance like never before...