Set against the backdrop of 1990s London, 'Ordinary Human Failings' delves into the life of Tom Hargreaves, an ambitious reporter with little regard for the 'ordinary' people who make up his readership. His career takes a turn when he discovers a story about the death of a child on an estate, and the grief-stricken parents point to the Greens, a recluse family of Irish immigrants, as responsible. At the core of the Greens' world is Carmel, once full of promise but now broken by life's cruel twists. With the police and media circling for their prey, the family's history of secrets threatens to come to light, shaking the foundations of their fragile existence.