Synopsis

In the Edwardian era, Marian Honeychurch and her two just-of-age children Lucy and Freddy Honeychurch are a carefree, fun-loving family living on Summer Street in the country town of Surrey. Lucy is a proper young lady, but passion seethes beneath her demure demeanor. She and her chaperone, her older cousin Charlotte Bartlett, who is officious in a slyly-undermining way, travel to Florence, Italy for a week-long respite. They stay at the Pensione Bertolini, which is popular among British tourists. Among the disparate group of other British guests at the Pensione are Mr. Emerson, whom Charlotte considers vulgar because of his forwardness, and his son, bright but brooding George Emerson. As their stay progresses, George feels that Italian life is opening his eyes to what is important in life, and he feels the same is happening to Lucy. On a group outing, an incident occurs which both Charlotte and Lucy consider improper, and the two leave Italy early and head back to England. Soon after, Lucy gets engaged to the upper-crust and passionless Cecil Vyse, and Mr. Emerson moves to Summer Street, with George visiting on the weekends. As George befriends the Honeychurches, Lucy begins to tell a series of lies, mostly to herself, about what and whom she really wants in her life.