The Rakonitz family - rich, cosmopolitan and Jewish - and ruled over by the indomitable will of the matriarch, Anastasia. From her exotically furnished house in west London, Anastasia holds court over her children, grandchildren and vast extended family. For someone must resolve the quarrels, celebrate the births, deaths, engagements, bankruptcies, artistic triumphs, and explain the only way to prepare a delicious Creme Duten. With the dawning of the twentieth century, a series of scandals and financial catastrophes strike the Rakonitzes, threatening the family ties, and calling into question the legacy that binds them together. 'There is wealth here, and gaiety. There is middle European style, and food in abundance. It is very un-English, and enormously attractive.' Julia Neuberger