Following the love-hate relationship between upper-class Audrey Forbes-Hamilton and Richard DeVere, the nouveau riche businessman who buys her manor house when she can no longer afford to keep it.
Newly-widowed Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, rejoicing in finding herself the sole owner of Grantleigh Manor Estate, is devastated to find out she must sell the estate to pay the debts left by her late husband, Marton.
The staff of Grantleigh Manor bid Audrey farewell with evident relief at her departure, only to find out the well kept secret of where she's moving--only a few hundred yards down the drive to the old gatekeeper's lodge, where she can still keep an eye on things and keep the new owner in his place.
Audrey berates Richard for failing to attend church at the Manor chapel on his first Sunday at Grantleigh, as well as lecturing him about other duties she feels he's failing to live up to as the new lord of the manor.
Audrey is appalled at Richard's plans to remodel the Manor, including his removal of the old fireplaces, though she never especially liked them and only wants a chance to lecture him about respecting history and "put him in his place" yet again.
Richard uses psychology to trick Audrey into organizing the annual Hunt Ball at Grantleigh, then becomes so distracted by ongoing business deals that he forgets to invite her to the Ball as his guest.
No longer able to afford an annual holiday to an exotic locale, Audrey pretends to leave for Spain while actually hiding inside the lodge with a sunlamp and Spanish language records.
Richard is chosen to star in a tv commercial as the quintessential English gentleman enjoying spirits at his country estate, but Audrey, who now knows Richard isn't English, reveals it to the producers and lands the starring role for herself.
Audrey and Richard engage in battle yet again, this time to see who can provide the best Christmas creche to the local church, Audrey with her homemade version or Richard with his commercially bought one.
