The plot of Brideshead Revisited in wonderfully thought out by Evelyn Waugh. Set in 1923, the narrator and protagonist Charles Ryder is befriended by Lord Sebastian Flyte whilst a student at Hertford College in Oxford. An undergraduate at Christ Church and the youngest son of Lord Marchmain, Flyte introduces Charles to his aesthetic and eccentric group of friends. Flyte takes Charles to meet his family in his massive house, Brideshead, in Wiltshire. Charles spends an extended vacation at Brideshead. Charles, who believes Christianity is “without substance or merit”, is surprised to find that Roman Catholicism very influences the lives and conversations of the Marchmains’. Lord Marchmain had initially converted from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism to enable his marriage to Lady Marchmain. Lord Marchmain later abandoned his religion and marriage and moved to Venice.
Lady Marchmain, now alone, focuses more than ever on her religion which her eldest son and youngest daughter both enthusiastically espouse also. Over a two year period, Sebastian, never good at load balancing, descends into alcoholism before fleeing to Morocco where his drinking negatively impacts upon his health.