Ireland 1919, Major Brendan Archer arrives at the Majestic Hotel and his fiancée, whom he rashly acquired three years earlier while on an afternoon’s leave. Their engagement proves to be short-lived as the lady concerned eludes him. But the crumbling hotel captivates him and he is unable to remove himself from it. He passes the summer in the poorly lit and faded Palm Court, in the company of aging gentile ladies and an increasing number of cats. He is so enchanted by his surroundings that he is almost unaware of the tensions around him as the fight for Irish independence explodes in full force.