The Camomile Lawn

Episode 1

Episode #1.1

52 mins

During the summer of 1939 Helena Cuthbertson and her staid second husband Richard, guardians to orphaned nine-year old niece Sophy, entertain their other nieces and nephews on the camomile lawn of their cliff-top home in Cornwall. They are the siblings Polly and Walter, free-spirited Calypso and Oliver, teen-aged veteran of the Spanish Civil War, in love with Calypso. All bar Richard anticipate another war, welcoming Jewish Austrian refugees Max Eistweiler, a concert violinist, and his wife Monika. Oliver returns with Helena to his parents' house in London, where they hear that war has been declared. They are joined by Polly, signing up for war work, Calypso and Paul and David, twin sons of Helena's local vicar. Helena returns to Cornwall after Sophy is traumatised. Whilst she says nothing she has accidentally caused the death of a man who exposed himself to her.