Edward Pettigrew comes close to betraying his wife through his lust for another woman. It all starts by the arrival of Uncle Morris and his young French fiancee, Heloise, who has a profound effect upon Edward. He cannot keep her out of his mind, and his pursuit of her affection, risks his marriage, his family and the future of the family estate.

Colin Firth: "There's a high level of play about Edward. He clearly has a love for his family, adores his life, thinks it's paradise. But his folly threatens it all. And at times you think he's unspeakable and lacks compassion. It's a fine line to walk. You play some of these scenes and you wonder if there's any redemption to him at all" [The L A Times, Aug, 1997]

Part of the truth of the film is the ultimate debunking of the myth of Edward Pettigrew as the incredible, God-like man his son Fraser believes him to be when the story begins. What this leaves in its wake is Firth's portrait of a flawed man trying to learn, sometimes even from his children.

Colin: Edward "changes for the better through the course of the film because it is hard for him to maintain his conventions when out of the mouth of his son come such obvious truths. Fraser constantly asks questions which challenge the orthodoxy of Edward's life and they are incredibly difficult to deal with because they come from innocence, not from a rival political point of view. /.../ Edward has as much growing up to do as his children and that really intrigued me. It's a rigorously truthful film and any truthful story is a wonderful thing."