This story is a satirical take on a minor English public school, which is an institution puffed up with its pompous pride in its sense of tradition, discipline, and responsibility.
This balloon is pricked by the fact that the Bursar has had his fingers in the till, and wiped out much of the school's fortune.
Added to that, there is a serious outbreak of food poisoning that makes many of the students ill, and is fatal for one.
The story's main characters are the school's Headmaster and the Governors, all of whom have massively infalted opinions of themselves. They struggle to stave off imminent bankruptcy.
The final chapter involves Speech Day, which turns out to be a PR disaster for the school as it stuggles to survive.
A sequel is to follow.