A member of an Oxford undergraduate literary group finds a letter in a bookstore, and the members undertake to each write a chapter of a story fleshing out the people in the letter. At the end of the term, they challenge each other to find the author, Kathleen, and be the first to invite her to some event I can't remember.

A slapstick farce follows, with pronoun reference problems, species misunderstandings, disguises, and increasingly ridiculous explanations.

The writing is good, without any social commentary. I would not recommend drinking any beverage while the cook is making mashed potatoes.