Ford and Mercedes Barclay are newcomers: they"ve decided to spend their twilight years in the lovely village of Turnham Malpas. But will they be made welcome? Ford wants to host a mock Elizabethan ball, but Mr Fitch, the village benefactor, is not impressed. When the two come to blows, Ford and Mercedes are uncertain whether village life is really for them. Meanwhile, a letter arrives at the village rectory, which causes consternation. The rector"s twin children, Alex and Beth, after scant contact with their birth mother, find her wanting to build a relationship with them. This raises questions for Alex and Beth as well as for Caroline, who has raised and loved them - will she be willing to let the twins forge their own path?