Still mourning the death of her husband nine months ago Lucia decides to get away from the village where she lives for a while and rent a place in another part of England. She takes her best friend, Georgie, along with her and they both fall in love with the place. They decide that they will both rent places there for the summer and return to home to participate in the village fete before moving out.
Lucia and Georgie move to their rented homes in Tilling and it is not long before Lucia and Miss Mapp are competing against each other in games of oneupmanship.
Lucia holds her garden party, in Mapp's garden, and it is a success. Her happiness is soon brought back to earth when Mapp gleefully tells her that the Contessa Faraglione is coming to visit Tilling and that the two of them will be able to talk Italian to each other. When he hears this news Georgie starts to panic, after all if she speaks Italian to him, or Lucia, it will soon become apparent that, despite what they have told everyone, he cannot speak Italian and that Lucia knows very little more.
Lucia decides that life in Tilling is more exciting then her home village and finds a small place to buy. Georgie is upset by this and has to decide whether he wants to do the same. A party at Lucia's new home leads to Mapp trying anything she can to get hold of Lucia's recipe for Lobster. This leads to the two of them finding themselves stuck in the house during a raging flood.
After months lost at sea, Mapp and Lucia return to Tilling, much to the surprise of all the residents who had thought that they had died. They both plan evenings where they will tell their memoirs of their adventure, versions that differ quite dramatically from each other.
Lucia discovers why Georgie is hiding himself away - he has shingles,so she lets him stay at Grebe,where he grows a beard to mask the marks on his neck but has to dye it as the hairs are grey. Lucia dabbles in the stock market and her shares in the South African gold mine Siriami pay dividends,inspiring other Tilling residents to follow her example. When the shares peak everybody sells at a profit - except Mapp and new husband Benjy,who are less fortunate with their pay-out. At the same time both Mapp and Lucia decide to stand against each other for seats on the local...
Neither Mapp nor Lucia win a seat at the local election and, for Mapp, who would appear to be pregnant, things are looking bad as she and Benjy have lost their investment in the Siriami mine and are strapped for cash. To help out - superficially - Lucia proposes that they swap houses, which they do and Lucia is excited when she believes that she has discovered Roman artifacts buried at Mallards. In the event they turn out to be modern trinkets but, so as not to lose face, Lucia holds a garden party, where it is also discovered that Mapp's presumed pregnancy is ...
Due to her investments Lucia is now a very wealthy woman and donates money to restore the Tilling church organ,an occasion which gives her full press coverage and grateful thanks within the community. After donating monies to several local charities she is offered a place on both the Tilling hospital and sports club committees,as well as a seat on the town council at last. For Mapp and Benjy things only get worse as they are flooded out at Grebe and have to take refuge at Mallards with Lucia - who announces her engagement to Georgie.
Lucia marries Georgie and is made the mayor of Tilling,though Georgie is peeved to find that it gives him no standing and,on Lucia's orders,they must set an example by economizing. Lucia is asked to select a Lady Mayoress,which has her female acquaintances vying with each other though Mrs Wyse seems to scupper her chances when her pet budgie,which she is wearing as an ornament on her hat after accidentally killing it,falls into her meal at the candidates' banquet. Lucia decides there is only one obvious choice - Mapp,whom she can keep in check as her subordinate ...
Lucia accompanies Georgie to London to hear his friend,opera singer Olga Braceley,perform. At the opera house they meet Poppy,the Duchess of Sheffield but she is more interested in Georgie - whom she believes to be the mayor of Tilling - than in his wife. Returning home Lucia is angry that the council will not hang the portrait of her by in her mayoral robes by Quaint Irene,whilst Irene's painting of Mapp has been declared the picture of the year and attracted press attention. In order to regain her superiority as the social queen of Tilling she has to impress upon ...