A committee meets on a winter's night to arrange the summer village fete. As protocol gives way to bickering and gossip, the personalities of those present emerge: busybody Ethel; Pauline, the vicar's long-suffering wife; careworn Gloria; horsy Majorie who is very attentive to the shy new teacher, Angela; elderly Mavis and Sally, the brisk Army wife. Six months on, the cathartic events of the fete are related with humour and pathos, and the upbeat ending affirms the enduring value of village life."