The arrival of a stranger in the village of Thrush Green stirs up ripples of speculation and interest. Not only does the village find itself paying tribute to this stranger's hero - a missionary born and bred in Thrush Green - but his presence has a dramatic affect on Miss Dimity Dean's romantic prospects ...As the story plays out, Miss Read succeeds in portraying village life with all its often unexpected incidents, and her unwavering eye for detail beautifully captures the character of a gradually disappearing aspect of rural English life.