A mud-spattered carriage draws up in front of Ombersley House in Berkeley Square, the home of the Rivenhall family. It is spring in the year 1815, when the battle of Waterloo has been safely won, and Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy has persuaded his sister Lady Ombersley to introduce his only child, the 19-year-old Sophy, to London Society. Sophy arrives with a monkey, a parrot, a dog, and a magnificent horse, all of which enchant her young cousins. Less enchanted is their older brother Charles, who has taken charge of the family since his father Lord Ombersley has gambled away most of his money.