The story follows the life of Tina, a young woman caught between the mother who adopted her - the beautiful, upstanding Delia - and her true mother, her plain, unmarried 'aunt' Charlotte, who gave Tina up to provide her with a socially acceptable life. The three women live quietly together until Tina's wedding day, when Delia's and Charlotte's hidden jealousies rush to the surface.

Originally serialized in The Red Book Magazine in 1922, The Old Maid is an examination of class and society as only Edith Wharton could undertake.

Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born in New York and was married in 1885 to a Boston socialite, Edward Robbins Wharton. Her first novel, The Valley of Decision, appeared in 1902, and she went on to publish an average of more than a book a year for the rest of her life.

Eleanor Bron's stage career includes many productions such as The Clean House, All About My Mother and In Extremis. On TV she has appeared in Fat Friends, Ted and Alice, Hippies, Vanity Fair and as Patsy's Mother in Absolutely Fabulous. Her film credits include Wimbledon, Iris and The Little Princess.