Conflict takes over when communications break down in this series, of five programmes about situations that depend on good communications - work, family, school, politics, even diplomacy.
Families can go for years without a serious talk of any kind. When crisis comes - death, divorce, bankruptcy - members may discover they have never really understood one another.
For the Browns (this is not their real name), the London family in this film, the mother's earlier divorce began a series of problems with her teenage son. The family tries to discover how these difficulties developed, helped by a family therapist - Dr Aaron Esterson. Despite the emotional nature of the film, the Brown family volunteered to take part in the hope that sharing their experience might help other families.
A BBC-TV production in association with KCET-TV (Los Angeles)