Harriet and Belinda Bede are serene in their comfortable home in a small English village. Both in their fifties and unmarried, they share not only their home, but also their love for each other and an unexpressed love for the objects of their affections. Harriet, stylish, plump, and coquette, dotes on young curates. Belinda, more introverted and less dedicated to fashion than her sister, nurtures a 30-year-old for the very married and very pompous archdeacon of the parish, Henry.