The Skin Game

The old money Hillcrists and the nouveau riche Hornblowers are in a feud all stemming from a past land deal. While the Hillcrests sold some property near to where they live to Mr. Hornblower on the premise of keeping the property for itinerant farming, Hornblower has instead amassed land to build factories which is getting to the point of ruining the Hillcrists' pastoral existence. There is another piece of property adjacent to where the Hillcrists' live which Hornblower wants specifically to build housing for his factory workers, the Hillcrists, who do not own it, willing to do anything to stop Hornblower from buying it including buying it themselves. Of the adult offspring of the two families, Charles Hornblower wholeheartedly supports his father, while Jill Hillcrist and Rolf Hornblower, who are friendly with each other, just want the feud to end. With the aforementioned property the current key to the feud, the question becomes how far especially Mr. Hornblower and equally ruthless Mrs. Hillcrist will go to beat the other, and whether any collateral damage to people who have nothing to do with their feud is worth that price of winning.