Richard and Anthea are the lucky couple who seem to have all the good fortune fall in their laps; yet in a very British way, they are thoroughly nice and eager to help their friends and neighbours. The only problem is that, with the best of intentions, they end up draining their independence and self-respect, in short sucking the life out of them. Ayckbourn wrote this play as a response to critics who accused him of only writing about unhappy couples, and he has said that the play is his personal favourite, which is quite an accolade.