Headlock is set in children's institution in 1960's Lancashire, England, and Martha Chisdale, the senior girl and of Jamaican parentage, is going for gold at the All-School's Championships. Her experiences shatter her self-image and the public image of the orphanage as she tries to cope with fame and tragedy: her 'little brother' Johnny beng sent away for bad behaviour and brewing scandals surrounding the deputy Matron. Amidst tragic affairs of the heart and a corrupt Town Hall, Matron Foster tries to ignore, then fathom and subdue the forces that threaten to close Croxford House, the home she has founded for disadvantaged children.