Romance,Comedy
United Kingdom
Francis Ashby is a stuffy and repressed don at Oxford who goes on a holiday to the Swiss Alps in order to relax and rejuvenate. While in the Alps, he meets an American woman named Caroline and her young daughter, Elinor, who was adopted from an Irish orphanage. Ashby finds himself drawn to Elinor, who is a charming and vibrant young woman, and he enjoys spending time with her and her mother.
When Ashby returns to Oxford, he is surprised to find that Caroline and Elinor have followed him back to England without first getting his permission. The women are not permitted to enter the college grounds, so Ashby has to sneak them into his room. He also has to deal with the disapproval of his fellow dons, who frown upon any kind of romantic liaison with women, even if it is completely innocent.
As Ashby spends more time with Caroline and Elinor, he begins to question his own repressed nature and the strict rules of his beloved Oxford. He becomes more and more drawn to Elinor, and the two begin a secret romantic relationship.
However, their romance is soon discovered by the other dons, who are outraged and demand that Ashby end the relationship immediately. In the end, Ashby has to choose between his love for Elinor and his loyalty to his fellow dons and to Oxford. The film is a poignant and beautifully acted exploration of love, academia, and the different ways we can be held back by the past.
