With housing so scarce, Amanda gratefully accepts the upstairs flat of a mansion owned by eccentric Lady Carlton. The catch: she must share the flat with loud American Shelley, dim-witted Jennifer, and current occupant, party girl Candice.
Amanda builds a nuclear fallout shelter in the living room. When Lady Carlton's refitted kitchen causes a bright electrical flash followed by a power cut, the flatmates fear the worst.
Jennifer loses Lady Carlton's stuffed dog while taking it for a walk, so the flatmates try to convince their landlady that her beloved animal has a message for her from heaven.