Argus Sansom is dead, leaving the Green Cygnet Inn to his adult children. His son, Magnes, is missing presumed dead in France. His youngest daughter Nell dreams of leaving the Vale and getting on in life. Molly, at twenty-five and the middle child, is determined to run the Inn despite plenty of opposition.

Over the course of a year, follow Molly and Nell as they navigate the demands of running a country inn. With the backdrop of the seasonal events and festivities of rural England in the inter-war years, The Green Cygnet offers a glimpse of a community touched by loss and distrustful of outsiders.