At the start of World War II, Jack and Sadie Rosenblum flee Berlin for London with their baby daughter, Elizabeth. Upon arrival, Jack receives a pamphlet from the German Jewish Aid Committee on how to act like a proper Englishman. He follows it to the letter—Saville Row suits, the BBC, trips to Covent Garden, a Jaguar—and it works like a charm. The Rosenblums settle into a prosperous new life.

Just one item on the list eludes him: “An Englishman must be a member of a golf course.” No golf course in England at the time will admit a Jew. But the list is now the guiding document in Jack’s life, and he must check off the final item. So he decides to build his own golf club in the Dorset countryside. For the second time, Sadie leaves a home she loves. And despite ancient customs, British snobbery, mythical beasts, and a shrinking bank account, they triumph once again.