Joanna Lumley embarks on the world’s greatest train journey for this epic new three-part documentary series, The series sees Joanna travel from East to West, departing from Hong Kong across 5777 miles of both Asia and Europe, through seven time zones, taking in an immense panorama of vistas and cultures, people and places, before her final arrival in Moscow. Everything about this legendary journey is of epic proportions. It cuts across three distinct countries, cultures, landscapes and languages and crosses some of the worlds most geographically challenging, yet resource rich and scenically splendid regions. Joanna will be hopping on and off the train visiting people and places as she travels.
The main character Joanna (Urszula Grabowska), waiting in vain for a letter from her husband who is in an Oflag, gives shelter to a little Jewish girl whose mother was caught during a round-up. Thus she becomes burdened with a secret she cannot reveal to anyone, even to her relatives. Joanna knows that she cannot keep Rose with her as she is already under observation, but she fails to find a hiding spot for Rose and is forced to become the lover of a German officer in return for protection. Forced by necessity, she has to cooperate with her enemies, becoming a traitor in the eyes of "her people".