The Intelligent Hand introduces us to a first-year cohort of British fine woodwork trainees at the Building Crafts College in Stratford, East London. Through the narratives of the course tutor and individual trainees, the film explores learning and skills, and investigates the synergy between brain, hand and the tools of our trades. Trainees discuss their motivations for taking up carpentry, the rewards and challenges they discover in working and problem solving with body and mind in unison, and their hopes and aspirations for future life and work.