In which the reader is introduced to the genteel rural setting of Framley and its principal inhabitants, as Lady Lufton navigates her ambitions for the parish church and her anxieties over the political and social affiliations of her son and his clerical protege. The episode delicately portrays the tensions arising from a proposed visit to the somewhat disapproved Chaldicotes, revealing Lady Lufton’s intricate blend of maternal care, social judgement, and steadfast loyalty to tradition.