April 1, 1649. St. George"s Hill. Surrey, England. A reformation-era religious sect called the Diggers sets out to form a commune and till the soil on "common land," which by law permits grazing--but not settlement and cultivation. Led by Gerard Winstanley, theirs is a nonviolent action to reclaim land for the poor who have been dispossessed by Oliver Cromwell"s recent Civil War. But the local villagers see the Diggers as a threat to their livelihood and, led by the Presbyterian parson, John Platt, they take violent action to harass and burn them out. Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo set out to make an absolutely historical film, accurate in every detail--including the use of rare breeds of animals. The result is an authentic, exciting and dramatic rendering of the first "communist" revolution in history.