Andrew Boxer

At a Catholic boys' school, domineering disciplinarian Father Goddard rules over his pupils with an iron hand. When one of his teenage charges confesses to murder, the dogmatic but deeply repressed Goddard finds his faith challenged and his life spiralling dangerously out of control.

For various reasons, a number of people have come see the painting Water Lilies by Claude Monet in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Two businessmen caught up in office politics discover the truth about themselves and their situation. Angie and Marcia, two elderly matrons, find a place to rest their weary feet. David, a shy English student, meets a young student museum guide, and a married couple find the peace of the room gives them the strength to talk truthfully about their relationship.

It's 1943 and the American Air Force has come to Market Weatherby, a small East Anglian town. The war-weary British and the brash American GIs sometimes clash, but friendships are also forged.