Freedom

Frank Higgins, the former assistant research assistant at Stirling University, meanders through another day with his wife Jo and his best mate Doug.

Frank has a skewed perspective on life - he's a hero to his best pal, Doug, but a source of mild exasperation to his wife.

He is a recently unemployed 30-something man who is 'sort of' on the lookout for work. Frank used to work as an assistant research assistant at Stirling University, although he wasn't quite sure what it was he was supposed to be researching. To be fair to Frank, he was close to finding out when he lost his job.

His wife Jo currently keeps the couple afloat financially working as a therapist and counsellor, all done from the extension on the side of their house, and she tries gently to encourage Frank back to work. Frank always takes some persuading. His best mate and former band partner, Doug, is quite happy with the situation - as he is also without full-time work - and prefers Frank to have time to hang out with him discussing each other's news and Doug's latest woman. They enjoy drinking tea, listening to electronic music and discussing Scottish history together.

Jo tells Frank she's heard they're looking for new tour guides up at Stirling Castle so Frank decides to investigate this possibility and takes Doug along. Doug is more interested in finding the attractive woman he saw in the pub the night before who he is convinced is Irish without having even spoken to her.

Meanwhile his wife, Jo, is concerned about a recurring dream she has been having in which Frank seems to be having an affair, sharing a surreal experience of this dream with her client, Gail.

Frank and Doug spend their time debating why there's a 'the' in Robert the Bruce and how the last battle of Stirling took place on the esplanade during Deacon Blue's encore at their concert in 1993. Frank is in reflective mood up at the Wallace Monument where he reveals his family motto of "Nothing ventured. And not - nothing ventured, nothing gained. Just nothing ventured. It makes life a lot easier that way."