Gordon Scott-Thompson, a struggling hack, gets commissioned to write the biography of veteran novelist, Jimmie Fane. It is a task which proves to be fraught with extraordinary and unforeseen difficulties.

Fane, an unashamed snob, has many pet hates, including younger men with moustaches and trendy pronunciation. Scott-Thompson, however, is extremely attached to his own moustache and not so particular about his use of language. It doesnt help matters that Fanes wife Joanna isnt yet sure what she feels about moustaches, but has decided views on younger men.