Plot Synopsis

THE ACCIDENT is a four-part drama series set in the fictional Welsh town of Glyngolau, where a forgotten community is devastated by disaster. An explosion on the construction site of a much-needed and sought-after regeneration project in this "left-behind" town claims the lives of many children who have broken into the building site to make mischief. As grief gives way to anger the community finds itself forced to confront difficult truths amid the search for justice.

Polly Bevan, the wife of the local politician, championed the project and is the person to whom the community turns following the disaster. Councillor Iwan Bevan, her husband, loves his home town and is a respected figurehead for the community. He was passionate about restoring the town to its former glory, but at what cost...? Behind closed doors Iwan and Polly's relationship is more complicated than outward appearances suggest, made even more so by the fact that their rebellious teenage daughter, Leona, does all she can to aggravate her father. But when Leona suffers life-changing injuries as a result of the accident on her father's site, the family finds itself tested to the limits.

Harriet Paulsen is the executive at Kallbridge Developments which has overseen the project in Glyngolau. On hearing the news of the disaster, Harriet immediately heads to the site but finds herself the focus of raw grief and anger. She's tough with a ruthless streak but her desire for self-preservation and to protect the business she's helped build comes into sharp conflict with her compulsion to do the right thing. Her Executive Assistant at Kallbridge is the smart and eager Tim, but his good sense may be clouded by his desire to protect Harriet at all costs.

While the search for the truth behind these events unfolds, the community seeks strength in each other. Polly relies on her oldest friends, like her, born and raised in Glyngolau. Angela Griffiths and single parent Greta, who both have lost daughters in the accident. The women's grief begins to turn to fury and a demand for action and justice. Debbie Kethin's life is also shattered by events. She must wrestle with the fact that Alan, her husband, was responsible for site security and that the disaster, which also took his life, happened on his watch.

An outsider in town, Martin Harris finds himself at the center of events in Glyngolau. After rescuing Leona from the wreckage of the collapsed building, he and Polly find in each other someone they can truly trust. He's not the only outsider, as Philip Walters is drawn to Glyngolau after the disaster. He circles the community in the aftermath of the explosion, asking questions and probing for details about what happened. Who is he, what's his agenda, and should the community place their trust in his action plan for justice? As the stakes rise for all concerned, and as each side looks to see how the law can best serve their needs, Laura is hired by Kallbridge to serve as Harriet's counsel.

THE ACCIDENT has its U.S. premiere on Friday, November 22, 2019 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, as Hulu released all four episodes of this series, which is the third installment in Jack Thorne's NATIONAL TREASURE trilogy. If the first series was about shame and the second about blame, then THE ACCIDENT is about justice