Mr. Ma and his son, Ma Wei, run an antiques shop on a quiet street in London, far from their native Peking. Here they struggle to navigate the myriad social conventions of 1920s English society. From their well-meaning landlady Mrs. Wedderburn and her carefree daughter Mary, to the old China hands the Reverend Ely and his wife, the Mas encounter all sorts of unexpected love, miscommunications and antipathy.