Based on EM Forster's classic novel, `Howards End' is a portrayal of England at the turn of the 20th century told through the lens of three families: the intellectual Schlegels, the wealthy and prejudiced Wilcoxes and the working-class Basts. In the evolving landscape of social and class divisions, the two idealistic Schlegel sisters seek to help the impoverished Bast family while simultaneously ridding the Wilcoxes of their preconceived notions of class and welfare.