 Set in 1920 , the film follows the experiences of Tom Birkin ( Colin Firth ) , who has been employed under a bequest to carry out restoration work on a Medieval mural discovered in a church in the small rural community of <unk> , Yorkshire . The escape to the idyllic countryside is <unk> for Birkin , haunted by his experiences in World War I. Birkin soon fits into the slow @-@ paced life of the remote village , and over the course of the summer uncovering the painting begins to lose his trauma @-@ induced <unk> and <unk> . 
