 Memoir of the lives of a family growing up on a post World War I British estate headed up by a strong disciplinarian (Rosemary Harris), her daughter (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), her inventor husband (Colin Firth), their ten year old son (Robbie Norman), and his older sister (Kelly MacDonald). Through the household comes a number of suitors hoping to impress the young woman, including an aviator (Tcheky Karyo). When the elder woman s son (Malcolm MacDowell) shows up at the estate with his French fiance(Irene Jacob), everything gets thrown into turmoil. The young boy takes a sudden interest in her sexual allure and his father is disturbed by his own non-Victorian feelings.