Kitty and Austin's granddaughter Ann, transplanted to America by her divorced mother, decides to marry in England. The resolute and pregnant bride arrives a week early, trailing in her wake her groom, David, and his best man. Kitty, convinced that families exist for coercion, appeals to Thea to take in the best man. Kitty launches preparations for a lavish wedding. The stage is set for the moral struggle between youth and age.
Family secrets surface.
Thea delves into her licentious past. Kitty hopes the wedding will lure back their son Gerald, who after his divorce from Ann's mother defected from the family to live in a commune. The young are predatory, self-absorbed and without affect. The old are rigid. Caught in the middle, Thea feels distaste for youth.