Recently widowed 'Lucia' Lucas is bored with her life in the Cotswold village of Riseholme and considers a move to the seaside town of Tilling with her fey male friend Georgie. On arrival in Tilling they meet Elizabeth Mapp,the Queen Bee of Tilling society and assorted other townsfolk,including the masculine artist 'Quaint' Irene,Godiva,alias Diva,who becomes a friend to Lucia,a Vicar from Birmingham who nonetheless speaks with a Scots accent and Benjy, the Major.

Lucia and Georgie submits entries for the local art exhibition,which Mapp,a member of the judging committee,rejects,returning them to their owners. However Lucia hangs them in pride of place at her house,so that the other judges, Mr and Mrs Wyse,are suitably impressed and insist on their submission. Needless to say they are highly commended but Mapp sees a chance for revenge on learning that the Wyses' relation,Italian Countess Faraglione,is coming to visit. Lucia and Georgie have claimed to be linguists but Mapp sees this as the chance to catch them out.