In which the placid routine of Worsted Skeynes and its steadfast squire, Mr. Pendyce, is disrupted by a troubling letter that sets him and his wife into uneasy deliberation over their eldest son's conduct, revealing the complexities of duty, honour, and love within the sheltered precincts of their country estate. As Mr. Pendyce wrestles with tradition and his own rigid principles, the quiet study and its loyal spaniel become a stage for the silent tensions shadowing the family’s outward calm.