East Sussex, 1914. It is the end of Englands brief Edwardian summer, and everyone agrees that the weather has never been so beautiful. Hugh Grange, down from his medical studies, is visiting his Aunt Agatha, who lives with her husband in the small, idyllic coastal town of Rye. Agathas husband works in the Foreign Office, and she is certain he will ensure that the recent saber rattling over the Balkans wont come to anything. And Agatha 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.