Jasper is the perfect English Civil Servant - polite and refined. But to his girl friend, and even to himself, he is a bore. So he decides to become a painter in Paris. Not so fast. The powers-that-be send him to the country to dismantle a forgotten research unit which is headquartered in an old mansion. The eccentric owner lives in a railway train, on his own 'branch line', letting the government pay for the upkeep of his ancestral home. The small research unit enjoys running the stately home and everyone is content with the status quo. Enter Jasper who quickly meets Lord Flamborough's three daughters, who, in one way or another contrive to make Jasper feel very much at home. Jasper's life is turned upside down, and he must eventually decide where his own personal future will lie