Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford don on holiday alone in the Alps, encounters holidaying American Caroline and her companion Elinor, the blooming Irish-American daughter she adopted many years previously. Ashby discovers that he enjoys their company, especially Elinor's, and both ladies are drawn to him. Back at Oxford, he is surprised when they arrive unexpectedly. Women are not permitted on the College premises, let alone in the rooms. Indeed, the upstanding Fellows frown on any relationship, no matter how benign.