Folly to Be Wise

In an army camp that feels both isolated and oddly communal, a newly‑arrived chaplain is handed the unexpected responsibility of overseeing camp entertainment. Fresh from his clerical duties, Captain William Paris discovers that the usual evening of classical music fails to ignite the soldiers’ spirits. Determined to inject a spark of lively conversation into the routine, he steps out into the local pub, The Rose and Crown, where the hum of camaraderie among the troops hints at a richer vein of morale‑building waiting to be tapped.

Seeing an opportunity for something both witty and thought‑provoking, Paris teams up with the poised Lady Dodds to assemble a makeshift “Brains Trust.” The panel brings together an eclectic mix of local colour: the outspoken Professor Mutch, a popular voice on BBC radio; the introspective oil painter George Prout and his seemingly serene wife Angela Prout; the hard‑of‑hearing yet sharp‑tongued Doctor Hector McAdam; and the forthright Labour MP Joseph Byres. Their varied backgrounds promise a lively clash of opinions, while the camp’s own Private Jessie Killigrew, Paris’s diligent secretary, keeps the proceedings humming along.

When the evening’s discussion drifts from harmless trivia to the subject of marriage, the conversation takes on an unexpectedly intimate edge. Beneath the polite veneer of the panelists, hints of hidden connections and unspoken histories begin to surface, suggesting that the relationships among the three central figures are more tangled than anyone anticipated. The audience, blissfully unaware of the undercurrents, watches the exchange unfold with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, while the chaplain watches the fragile balance of humor and tension he has set in motion.

Last Updated: December 05, 2025 at 09:38