The Mitford family is dysfunctional, to say the least. David (James Purefoy) and his wife, Sydney (Anna Chancellor), pride themselves on being upstanding citizens in England. They live with their family on a vast estate, attend upper crust functions and lead a typical aristocratic life.

Nancy (Bessie Carter) is the oldest daughter. A novelist, she has problems with her romantic life until she finds a husband whom she feels would be worth spending the rest of her life with. Later on in the season, she learns this might not be a perfect fit.

Nancy has a good head and heart. She sees the conflicts of the world playing out and stands against the fascists, communists and often her own family. She is a freedom-loving individual who often finds herself caught in the middle of her family’s drama.

Diana (Joanna Vanderham) is divorced, to the chagrin of her parents. She is entranced with Oswald Mosley (Joshua Sasse), a fascist leader whose followers are devoted to everything he says. He admires Hitler, as does Diana. As Diana gets closer to him, she also gets closer to Hitler.

Unity (Shannon Watson) falls head over heels for Hitler and his beliefs. She moves to Germany to study the language, country and her hero. This girl is cunning. Unity ultimately is befriended by the man she adores.

Jessica (Zoe Brough) is a devout communist and completely against what her sisters Diana and Unity stand for. She feels communism is the only system that is fair to all.

Deborah (Orla Hill), Pamela (Isobel Jesper Jones) and Thomas (Toby Tegbo) round out this family of crazy, whacky personalities whose various beliefs are at odds with each other and who, at times, refuse to speak to each other.

Tom, the only brother, tries to play peacemaker among his sisters. They are blood, after all. But getting them all to engage peacefully is a difficult task.

The cast of characters in this real-life soap opera will have viewers in disbelief. Their political and scandalous social lives become entangled in this far-fetched story that were it not true would be comical.

As viewers look into the world of this unconventional family and see the various beliefs that were rising in popularity prior to the war, they could often feel uncomfortable with the characters. It might boggle the minds of viewers, especially knowing this is a true story about real people whose beliefs spark outrage among each other and others in their social circle, not to mention England itself. What will the Milfords do or say next?

Love, heartache, scandal, political extremism and family bonds are all put to the test as this first season plays out. All six episodes are available to stream on BritBox.