In which the reader is introduced to the gentle county of Barsetshire and the once-prosperous Gresham family of Greshamsbury, whose present fortunes and social standing are somewhat diminished by political missteps and domestic trials, all set against the backdrop of a rich and immemorial English rural landscape. We also meet the young heir, Frank Gresham, and the modest yet important figures of the neighbourhood, including the country doctor and his niece, whose quiet lives intertwine with the changing fortunes of the squire and his kin.