In 1959, headstrong widow Florence (Emily Mortimer) transforms an old house into a bookshop in order to bring more culture to her small, coastal town. With the help of a precocious girl (Honor Kneafsey), she finds her first customer and champion in reclusive local widower Edmund (Bill Nighy) as well as a staunch opponent in Violet (Patricia Clarkson), a powerful woman in the community who wants Florence's property for her own purposes. Written and directed by Isabel Coixet. Based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald.