In 1959 England, in a beautiful coastal town, widow Florence Green (
Emily Mortimer) is ecstatic when she opens her own book store, named The Old House Bookshop. Because the shop is located in a heritage building, Florence runs into opposition from some of the locals, including the powerful
Violet Gamart (
Patricia Clarkson), who believes the building should have been turned into an arts center, not a store that offers works such as Nabokov's controversial novel,
Lolita. However, Florence earns the support and affection of a reclusive book loving widower (Bill Nighy), who's thrilled that the town finally has a bookshop. As Florence's obstacles amass and bear suspicious signs of a local power struggle, she is forced to ask: is there a place for a bookshop in a town that may not want one?
Based on Penelope Fitzgerald's acclaimed novel.