In deepest， rural England， Fliss and Ivor Harley-Wright are dead broke and at their wits ends in ancient， collapsing Little Waitling Hall. The Hall is not even theirs -- hence they are at the beck and call of both Ivor s terrifying， exasperating mother， Titty， and the bank. Their one drop of hope lies in the sale of the family s sole resource -- The Harley-Wright Collection of Commemorative Drinking Vessels， inherited from Ivor s father. Their potential savior comes in the dubious and unwilling form of the sharpish， youngish American， Tom Klaus， lawyer to an asset-stripper， billionaire American. In short， an unlikely customer. Klaus is sent to scout out the goods with what he thinks is a very firm grasp of the English and their culture. Instead he finds mud， weeds in the kitchen， and Titty. Can the Harley-Wrights persuade Tom to love sodden Suffolk and pull them from their financial mire?