The last summer, shown in major flashbacks, dashing archaeologist Joseph (Luke Treadaway) has brilliantly flirted with upper middle-class girl Dolly Thatcham (Felicity Jones), delighting her cute naughty kid brother Jimmy (Ben Greaves-Neal) and even her headless younger sister Annie (Eva Traynor), yet antagonized their mother, stuck-up widow Mrs. Thatcham (Elizabeth McGovern). When bashful Dolly refused to accompany Joseph on a Greek excavation due to his commitment problems, she was afterwards sent on an Albanian holiday, met stuffy diplomat Owen (James Norton) and got engaged. At the wedding day, Dolly hesitated whether she was giving up on her best chance for happiness, and Joseph turned up, but the party guests and obligations kept getting in the way of actually talking it through.