The Camomile Lawn

- Season 1

(1992)

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...

As Max and Monika are interned as aliens and Sophy goes to boarding school Calypso marries the older, wealthy Hector. Oliver is displeased and the wedding is a joyless affair. Calypso discovers that Hector gets violent when drunk but stays with him for his money whilst seeing other men. She agrees to have sex with Oliver but they are thwarted by an air raid. Richard gets the Erstwilers released and they come to live with the Cuthbertsons. Max starts to build up a reputation as a concert performer whilst starting an affair with Helena.

Helena travels to London for Max's debut concert where both Polly and Calypso guess their secret. Calypso sleeps with Max herself and, after witnessing him turn down the chance to work in America, urges him to be kind to Helena. Richard falls ill after a bomb drops near the house and on visiting him Helena finds Monika in charge. He calls it a straight swap. Sophy is staying with Polly and during a heavy air raid almost tells her about the death of the flasher but is distracted by fear. Later she tells Walter, on leave from the Navy. Polly herself enjoys sex with both...

Polly is unnaturally calm when a telegram arrives informing of Walter's death whereas Calypso breaks down. Having had sex at last with Oliver - and almost getting caught by Hector - she is now pregnant by her husband. Polly accuses her of selfishness, claiming that Walter's death has spoilt her cousin's hedonistic, promiscuous war. Helena and Max move into a house in London together but Helena is rattled when Richard comes to stay, waxing lyrical about his new life with Monika. Calypso, however, is impressed and asks him to be her child's god-parent. She has a letter ...

Calypso receives good news about Hector, while Max is informed of his son's death. As the drama concludes in 1984, a final gathering on the chamomile lawn reveals long-kept secrets.