Set in Edwardian England, Howards End is the portrait of a lost era, a deceptively golden time before the First World War that would change values and lifestyles forever. To illuminate these changing times, Forster throws together three vastly dissimilar classes of people: the Schlegels-Helen and Margaret-educated, compassionate and independently wealthy; the Wilcoxes-nouveau riche Empire builders; and Leonard Bast, an ambitious but struggling bank clerk. As these three groups move in and out of each other's worlds, disasters and discoveries ensue.