Paul pennyfeather, a dedicated divinity student set upon a quiet life of contemplation as a priest, is unceremoniously expelled from oxford university through no fault of his own. This kickstarts a series of disastrous events that no one, least of all paul, could have anticipated. Without a private fortune to fall back on, paul is forced to take a position as a teacher at a substandard boarding school in rural wales. All too quickly it becomes apparent that paul is not a natural disciplinarian. He finds scant comfort in drinking to excess with the other teachers. Things start to look up, however, when paul meets margot beste chetwynde, a wealthy widow and a mother to one of the boys at the school. Could it be that the attraction paul feels for margot is returned? Could his fortunes be changing?