May's second marriage to Colonel Herbert Brown-Lacey is turning out to be a terrible mistake. Her children leave home to escape the Colonel, and his behaviour is beginning to become more and more sinister. Oliver drifts from one affair to another, and Elizabeth follows him to London in search of love and security. Even Herbert's own daughter, the shy and lonely Alice, is driven into marriage to escape from her father's cruel behavior.
Elizabeth Jane Howard explores the personal and social interactions of this contemporary family with her customary candor and perception.