At nineteen Anne Elliot refuses an offer of marriage from Frederick Wentworth, persuaded to do so by Lady Russell, a friend of her dead mother.

Wentworth is a sailor, with no money and an uncertain future, says Lady Russell - just a nobody, certainly not worthy of a baronet's daughter.

Eight years later Wentworth returns, a rich and successful captain, looking for a wife.

Anne is still unmarried, but Captain Wentworth clearly prefers the company of the two Musgrove girls...Jane Austen's tale of love and marriage is told with humour and a sharp understanding of human behaviour.