Lucy Honeychurch, a young, middle-class English woman, takes a vacation to Florence, Italy, with her older cousin, Charlotte Bartlett. Charlotte is Lucy’s chaperone; she must look after her younger cousin. When the two women arrive at the Pension Bertolini, they discover that their room is not quite what they expected. Rather than featuring a view over the River Arno, their window is "looking into a courtyard" (7). Furthermore, the owner of the hotel is English rather than Italian, and the food is not as good as Lucy had hoped.

Over dinner, Lucy and Charlotte argue about their disappointing room. A stranger intrudes on their conversation. This is Mr. Emerson, an "ill-bred" (8) working-class man from England who is travelling through Italy with his son, George. Emerson offers to swap rooms with them. Charlotte is taken aback by Emerson's lack of proprietary. She says his offer is "quite out of the question" (9).  

As Lucy and Charlotte return to their conversation, Lucy spots another guest. She knows Mr. Beebe from back home, as he is a "stout but attractive" (10) priest who has recently been appointed to her local church. At the dinner table, they also talk to an intelligent woman named Miss Eleanor Lavish.