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In 1910 Margaret Unwin, a member of the Banbury Intricate Craft Circle, becomes inspired by the women's suffrage movement following a visit to London and attempts to interest the rest of the group in votes for women. Bombastic chairperson Helen expresses disapproval, asserting that women are weak and silly and incapable of decision-making, but her sulky daughter Emily, saucy mother Myrtle Von Heckling and perpetually pregnant Eva are all enthusiastic. Helen tries to start a counter suffrage group but Margaret, using weak-wristed young Thomas as an example of male inefficacy, wins over the others, who-along with simple Gwen-commit to the cause.

The women's placards arrive though unfortunately they are the wrong shape and too cumbersome. They prepare for action but are unsure what form this should take. Emily suggests blowing up parliament or killing the king, which Margaret writes on a blackboard. Finally they decide to picket the post office but have to ask for it to remain open. When a statue of Venus in the library is desecrated P.C. John Thackeray, an old flame of Margaret, comes to investigate. Emily's chalked suggestions look ominous but it turns out that the culprits are another group of suffragettes.

The women are excited when Margaret gets a reply to her letter to suffragette leader Mrs Pankhurst, announcing that she plans to visit the group with a view to their affiliation with the Women's Social and political Union. Only Helen, who went to school with Mrs Pankhurst and dislikes her, is unimpressed. Mrs Pankhurst duly arrives in a huge hat, and referring to herself in the third person. Though unmoved by the song and tableau the group the women perform for her she believes that they should be allied because she admired their vandalism of the statue of Venus in the library. Unfortunately Margaret owns up that this was the work of their rival group and the affiliation is withdrawn.

Margaret proposes that the group goes on hunger strike to support their imprisoned sisters in London but is hampered by thoughts of buns and Gwen buying up all the stock when the local cheese shop closes down. The women encourage Thomas to propose to his adored Emily, whose mother Helen has arranged a marriage of convenience to wealthy Bertie Smuth. Thomas composes a love letter which, for all the wrong reasons, works to his advantage.

Delivering an earnest speech dedicated to novelist Elizabeth Gaskell Margaret hopes to recruit more women to her suffrage group but her audience prefers to imbibe Dr Hamm's Invigorator, containing cocaine and this, along with Emily's revolt against capitalist mother Helen, tends to dominate the evening. More importantly they take precedence over Helen's intended dinner party for the great and good and Gwen ends up by having her say.

As a protest against the exclusion of women from playing bowls Margaret plans to distribute leaflets during an international match at the local bowling green but when another suffragette group sabotages the green the tournament is held indoors. Two emancipated New Zealand entrants arrive and recruit the women as their substitutes but in the event the group finds the entire game extremely boring.

The women plan a trip to London by train but a more militant suffragette group has been arrested after plotting to kill Winston Churchill so they face a travel ban on all females. The solution is to assume male disguises and, once aboard the train, they see off any detractors but find a distinguished adversary is their fellow traveller.

The village hall is being used as a polling station for the general election though of course the women cannot vote. Margaret's proposed rules for passive resistance fall on deaf ears whilst Thomas invents an early version of a swing-o-meter. Then militant suffragette Betty arrives and locks them all in the hall as a protest. The women must combine to escape from Betty without being seen to collude in subverting the election whilst the heavily pregnant Eva has a baby to deliver.

Margaret has written a feminist pantomime, glorifying famous women but destroyed the script after criticism from her husband. With opening night rapidly approaching Eva comes up with her own play, based on Cinderella and called 'The Dirty Princess' but Margaret is annoyed that it has no social content and plans her own one woman show. However, after the suffragettes hear some upsetting news Margaret agrees to merge the two plays, resulting in a standing ovation and rapturous applause.