After the death of her parents, Flora Poste finds herself with nowhere to live. Her small annual income is inadequate for her needs, and her friend the divorcee Mary Smiling tells her she will have to get a job. Flora, however, aspires to be a writer, and rather than seeking employment she opts to send letters to her many relatives to see if any would be prepared to take her in. Through Mary, Flora meets Charles Fairford, who develops feelings for her. Receiving no positive replies from her city-based relations, Flora extends her search to her "dreadful" country relatives. She is intrigued by a letter from a cousin, Judith Starkadder, inviting her to Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex. Judith states that it is her duty to take Flora in to atone for some unspecified wrong the Starkadders once did to Flora's father. Arriving at the Starkadder's dilapidated farm, Flora meets its family of eccentric inhabitants, who initially only refer to her as "Robert Poste’s Child". The family is controlled from her bedroom by the reclusive matriarch Aunt Ada Doom – who claims to have seen "something nasty in the woodshed". Judith, Ada's daughter, is married to Amos, a local
fire-and-brimstone preacher of the Quivering Brethren sect, who refuses to allow anything about the farm to be changed without Aunt Ada's consent (which is never granted). Their sons Reuben and Seth are forced to take on most of the work. Also living with the family is Elfine Starkadder, an unworldly young woman who spends much of her time communing with nature. Resolutely cheerful and practical, Flora sets to work to transform the dysfunctional family. Taking it upon herself to care for the reclusive Aunt Ada, she gradually introduces her to the potential pleasures of the outside world, bringing her fashion and travel magazines. Amos remains obdurate, but Flora convinces him that he could save vastly more souls as a travelling preacher than he is able to merely by preaching locally; eventually he departs to take his sermons on the road. Seth, she realises, has little interest in farming, but is fascinated by the movies. She introduces him to a
Hollywood producer, Earl P. Neck, who is impressed with Seth's film star looks and who casts him in his latest movie, taking him also away from the farm. Reuben fears Flora's influence and believes she intends to take the farm away from the family, but softens when she explains that he is the natural person to take overall charge. Flora learns of Elfine Starkadder's affair with Dick Hawk-Monitor, son of the local squire, and of her despair that he is unable to marry her due to her lowly social status. With the help of Mary and Charles, Flora reinvents Elfine's image and introduces her to
high society. She smuggles Elfine into Dick's
21st birthday celebrations where, in spite of his parents' continued disapproval of the match, Dick publicly proposes to Elfine. Reuben becomes the head of the family, and enjoys his new role; he naively proposes to Flora, and she gently declines. Aunt Ada is becoming more receptive to new ideas, and Flora secures her approval of Elfine's marriage. On Elfine's wedding day Aunt Ada unexpectedly appears, sumptuously dressed, and announces that she intends to travel and will shortly be leaving for France. She is about to reveal the wrong done to Flora's father, when she is interrupted by the arrival of Charles in his private plane. Flora declares her love for him, she climbs into the cockpit, and they depart from Cold Comfort Farm together. ==Cast==