Islington, the late 1930s: When Pee Wee Poston and his wife Beulah are offered the chance to swap New York for London, they jump at it. Pee Wee, a highly talented saxophonist, has been asked to help launch a new jazz club in Soho. By accepting, the couple can be close to their son Julius, a high-flying diplomat at the American Embassy. The Postons settle in Islington, only to find that some locals dislike having a black family in the area. But from their new neighbors, the Sykes, they receive the sort of warm welcome Londoners are known for. Before long, they are firm friends -- a commodity which, with war looming, grows more precious by the day. . .