In which a rainy morning at Broxton Parsonage reveals the genteel but somewhat faded dignity of the Irwine family, and the vicar, Mr. Irwine, receives news from the parish clerk about unsettling religious stirrings and local troubles stirring in the village of Hayslope. We witness the interplay of social roles and characters as the young squire, Arthur Donnithorne, arrives amid discussions that hint at deeper concerns beneath the rural calm.