East Sussex, 1914, the end of England's brief Edwardian summer. Agatha lives with her husband in the small, idyllic coastal town of Rye. He works in the Foreign Office, and Agatha is certain he will ensure that the recent sabre rattling over the Balkans won't come to anything. And she has more immediate concerns; she has just risked her carefully built reputation by pushing for the appointment of a woman to replace the Latin master. However, when Beatrice Nash arrives, it is clear she is significantly more free thinking - and attractive - than anyone believes a Latin teacher should be. For her part, mourning the death of her beloved father, Beatrice simply wants to be left alone to pursue her teaching and writing. But just as she comes alive to the beauty of the Sussex landscape, and the colourful characters that populate Rye, that perfect summer is about to end