Grace has agreed to marry Sir Harcourt Courtly in return for his financial support of her family. At a house party in her father's place, Harcourt's son Charles also falls in love with Grace. When his father appears on the scene, he has to convince him that there is a case of mistaken identity and he is somebody else.
Pinchwife brings his simple young wife to London for his sister's wedding. Lest she falls prey to the town's temptations, he keeps her under lock and key.
Strether is sent to Europe to rescue a young American from the charms of a mysterious French beauty. But he is soon under the liberating influence of Europe himself.
On the eve of World War I, Ellie Dunn, her father, and her fiancé are invited to one of Hesione Hushabye's infamous dinner parties. Unfortunately, her fiancé is a scoundrel, her father's a bumbling prig, and she's actually in love with Hector, Hesione's husband. This bold mix of farce and tragedy lampoons British society as it blithely sinks towards disaster.
