Plot

England, 1958. A Russian-born designer of hearing aids becomes acquainted with a well-known politician and his wife - who harbor dark secrets.

1957. The Petrukhin family attend the Goodwood races where they meet Kathleen and Richard Shaw MP. When their eight year-old son Sasha Petrukhin wanders off, there is a frantic search and Kathleen eventually finds him. Over lunch, Sasha falls ill and is rushed to the hospital. A few months later, Sasha is preparing to go to Downham House boarding school. His 17 year-old sister Hannah is soon to be presented as a debutant to the Queen at Buckingham Palace, yet she can't help but question the futility of learning how to courtesy in a world that is shaken by the threat of the atom bomb. Both Sasha and Hannah dread their near futures. Kathleen Shaw unexpectedly visits Samuel Petrukhin at his hearing aid business as she is hoping he will have a suitable device for her aunt. He shows her his latest invention, the staff locator - a new piece of equipment that will revolutionize the way people communicate within hospitals and other businesses. In preparation for her London debutant season, Hannah begins etiquette classes. She is meant to be in Miss Laidlaw's class - the A Class - but chooses to attend the more casual B class run by Nicholas Halliday. Samuel and his colleague Courtney become suspicious when they realize they are constantly being followed by several men as they attend hearing aid fittings. At half term, the Petrukhins attend the Shaw's for lunch where they meet Lord Arthur Wallington. Samuel explores the garden and discovers something curious.

Russian-born Jewish inventor Samuel Petrukhin's pre-teen son Sasha getting missing at the 1957 Goodwood horse races and being rushed to hospital for an appendectomy enables aristocratic British mother Miriam to make the acquaintance of MP Richard Shaw, whose wife Kathleen invites them to their home any time. Hospital inefficiency inspired the inventor to promote his 'staff locator' device for paging medical staff, while the MP's grumpy mother gets a home-fitting of a miniaturized hearing aid and father meets influential Lord Arthur Wallington, who shares his worries about nuclear arms rather the his optimism about space technology. Sasha resigns to attending prestigious boarding school Downham House, where all innovative devices are confiscated, while his rebellious sister Hanna (17) tries in vain to sabotage her Miss Laidlaw's finishing school training, ending up after all to turn up to be among the last lot of debutantes being presented at the royal court, only she wrecks a shoe just before the Buckingham palace gate is to close. Only Sasha stumbles upon a Shaw home estate secret, while his father is tailed by mysterious men, whom he soon resolves to confront.—KGF Vissers