When profoundly conservative English language local Edith Swan and fellow resident get down to have wicked letters full of accidentally screaming profanity, her bully, foul-spoken, Irish migrator neighbour rosebush Gooding is charge with the offense. The anon. letters motivate a national tumult, and a test ensues. nevertheless, as the town’s women—led by police force military officer Gladys Moss—begin to look into the offense themselves, they surmise something is awry and rosebush may not be the perpetrator after all.