Enterprising Tom Parker and his wife Mary's coach back from London trips over a road obstacle and is helped u eagerly by the locals. Village patriarch Heywood declines an invitation to come see what wondrous plans he's realizing for 'the finest seas resort' at Sandition, but is persuaded to let his teen daughter Charlotte be their guest. Suddenly she's thrown among the elite plotting for prominence, especially around obscenely rich widow and main resort investor Lady Denham . Tom presents her to all the resident and visiting socialites, including Denham's castle estate, where's she's sworn to secrecy about a dubious affair involving the protege niece mistrusted by the wealthier would be-heirs, and even takes her sample the novelty bathing infrastructure- Victorian tent-gowns for ladies, gents in the buff. Only at the ball the Parkers count on to give the project notoriety in London, Charlotte meets Tom's dashing, court-acquainted brother Sidney, while fat third brother Arthur seems a mindless buffoon.
—KGF Vissers