Plot Summary (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Plot summary
Setting and opening situation
The novel is set in March 1916, during the height of World War I. The story takes place primarily at Baldry Court, a grand country estate in England. The narrative opens with Kitty Baldry, who has not heard from her husband Chris for two weeks. Chris is fighting on the Western Front in France, and Kitty is understandably anxious about his safety. Living with Kitty at Baldry Court is Jenny, Chris's cousin, who serves as the novel's narrator.
The household is still grieving the loss of Chris and Kitty's baby son, Oliver, who died five years earlier. This tragic loss has cast a shadow over their marriage, and Kitty attempts to find comfort in the beautiful house and grounds that she has worked so hard to maintain, believing that these luxurious surroundings would make Chris happy and content.
The unexpected visitor
The tranquillity of Baldry Court is shattered when an unexpected visitor arrives. Mrs William Grey, a poorly dressed, working-class woman from the suburbs, appears at the door. Kitty and Jenny find her presence both surprising and uncomfortable, as she clearly does not belong to their social world. Margaret Grey claims that she has received a telegram about Chris, stating that he has suffered from shell-shock on the front.
Shell-shock refers to the psychological trauma experienced by soldiers during warfare, a condition that was not well understood at the time. Today, this condition would be recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Kitty immediately doubts Margaret's story and questions her harshly, unable to believe that a woman of such low social standing would have any connection to her husband. The tension escalates when Margaret produces an actual telegram from Chris, sent to her old address. Kitty is devastated by this revelation and tearfully confides in Jenny that she fears Chris has either gone mad or has been harbouring secret affection for this woman whom she considers objectionable.
News from France
The following morning brings confirmation of Margaret's claims. Frank Baldry, Chris's cousin, receives a telegram informing the family that Chris is in a Red Cross hospital in France. However, the news is deeply troubling.
Frank explains that Chris is in a strange psychological state, believing that the year is still 1901 and claiming to be a young man engaged to a girl named Margaret Allington. Though he thought it was 1901, when Chris learned the actual year was 1916, he fainted from the shock.
This revelation forces Jenny to prepare Kitty for the difficult reality of Chris's homecoming, warning her that his mental state has been severely affected by his war experiences.
Chris's return and recognition failure
When Chris returns to Baldry Court a week later, the full extent of his condition becomes immediately apparent. He does not recognise Kitty at all and appears confused by Jenny's aged appearance. His memories have regressed fifteen years into the past, to a time before his marriage.
In an attempt to jog his memory, Kitty changes into a white dress for dinner, hoping to remind Chris of their wedding day. However, Chris remains unable to connect with the present. He explains that he must see Margaret, and Kitty reluctantly agrees to this meeting. After Kitty storms off to bed in distress, Chris begins to talk with Jenny about the last memories that feel real to him, recalling visits to Monkey Island fifteen years ago.
During these reminiscences, Chris mentions his Uncle Ambrose, who used to walk to the Monkey Island Inn. It was at this location that Chris and Margaret, then a young, thoughtful woman, would sit and talk for hours. Chris speaks of her indistinctly glowing in the moonlight, and he confesses that neither Margaret nor his feelings for her could ever change, revealing the depth of his attachment to this past relationship.
Margaret's story emerges
The next day, Jenny travels to Wealdstone to fetch Margaret, hoping she can help Chris. Jenny is struck by the contrast between Margaret's modest suburban home and the opulence of Baldry Court. Margaret's house is covered with flour, and sweet smells of baking fill the air.
As they journey back to see Chris, Margaret explains the painful history of her relationship with Chris. Their romance ended due to a misunderstanding regarding Margaret's friendship with a neighbour boy. Soon after this confusion, Margaret's father died, and she later married Mr Grey, an unsuccessful and sickly man who had never been able to provide well for her. She had recently revisited Monkey Island for the first time and received old letters from Chris that had never been forwarded to her, as well as the telegram from the front.
This information helps Jenny understand that Margaret represents a time of innocence and happiness for Chris, before the responsibilities of adulthood, marriage difficulties, and the traumas of war.
Contrasts and conflicts
At Baldry Court, Jenny observes the stark contrast between Margaret's shabby appearance and the luxurious surroundings of the estate. She begins to dread the prospect of Margaret reuniting with Chris, recognising the complicated emotions this will stir.
When Kitty storms down from upstairs, she tearfully embraces Jenny as Chris's conversation with Margaret begins. Both women are united in their pain, even though they had never been particularly close before. They realise that Chris could never love Margaret as she is now, but simultaneously understand that Margaret was indeed right about his condition and his feelings for her past self. This creates a deeply uncomfortable situation for everyone involved.
Medical explanation
In the coming days, Margaret continues her romance with Chris, which blossoms anew as if fifteen years had not passed. Eventually, Dr Gilbert Anderson arrives to examine Chris and provide a medical explanation for his condition.
Dr Anderson explains that Chris's amnesia is an act of his unconscious self. Chris is refusing to let himself remember the present because he is suppressing some sort of strong desire or trauma. Kitty and Jenny struggle to understand what this desire might be, but Margaret has always known the truth better than the others.
She suggests that a jarring memory might bring Chris back to the present, specifically recalling the memory of his little boy's death. Dr Anderson confirms this theory, noting that Chris's unconscious mind is protecting him from painful realities.
The truth about loss
Back at the house, Chris speaks with Dr Anderson whilst Jenny and Margaret go upstairs to talk. When Margaret sees Jenny's photograph of baby Oliver and learns what happened to him, she reveals a devastating truth of her own.
Margaret, too, had a two-year-old son named Dick, who died five years ago. This creates a parallel between Margaret and Kitty, both having experienced the profound grief of losing a child.
In contrast to the peaceful scene in the woods where Margaret and Chris have been spending time, Margaret's revelation shows the deep wells of sorrow that both women carry.
The attempted cure
Margaret and Jenny visit Oliver's nursery to find some of the baby's old belongings. Margaret weeps as she handles these items, saying that there is nothing more important than happiness.
She tearfully declares that if they truly love Chris, they must try to cure him, even if it means giving him up. If Chris remains stuck in the past, he will eventually become a pitiable and eccentric figure, and they must spare him from this fate for the sake of his dignity.
Margaret decides to go to Chris with Oliver's things, planning to force him to confront the painful memory he has been avoiding. This represents a tremendous sacrifice on Margaret's part, as curing Chris will mean losing him and the happiness they have rediscovered together.
The devastating resolution
Jenny collapses in sadness at the thought of what must happen. Looking outside at Kitty's urging, she sees a heartbreaking scene. On the lawn, Margaret has retreated into the shadows, and Jenny is shaken by the sight of Chris staring hopelessly towards the house. His posture has changed completely.
He is now walking with a soldier's step instead of a boy's carefree gait. The transformation is immediate and total. Looking over Jenny's shoulder, Kitty observes Chris's altered demeanour and says with satisfaction, "He's cured!"
This final line reveals the tragic irony at the heart of the novel. Chris has indeed regained his memory and returned to the present, but this 'cure' has forced him back into a world of loss, grief, and the horrors of war. The innocence and happiness he briefly rediscovered with Margaret have been destroyed, and he must now face the painful realities of his life once more.
Key Themes and Takeaways:
- The novel explores the psychological impact of WWI through Chris's shell-shock and amnesia, showing how trauma causes him to retreat to happier memories from 1901.
- Class distinctions are central to the plot, with Margaret's working-class background creating conflict despite her genuine connection to Chris.
- The story examines different forms of love through three women: Kitty (the elegant wife), Jenny (the loyal cousin), and Margaret (the lost first love who represents Chris's younger, happier self).
- Chris's 'cure' at the end is deeply ironic, as returning him to reality means forcing him to remember his dead son Oliver and abandon the happiness he found in his regression.
- The novel questions what constitutes true healing, suggesting that remembering painful truths may be more harmful than the escape provided by amnesia.