In 1950s England, James Stevens has spent the better part of his life as butler at Darlington Hall. He receives a letter from former housekeeper Mrs. Sarah Benn, who now lives in Clevedon. She discloses that she has left her husband for the second time and often thinks of her years at Darlington Hall as the happiest of her life. In need of a new housekeeper, Stevens decides to visit Mrs. Benn, hoping to persuade her to return to her old job. With the permission of his employer, Jack Lewis, an American who recently bought Darlington Hall, Stevens goes on holiday to Clevedon. En route, he recalls some twenty years ago when he interviewed Sarah Benn, who went by her maiden name of Miss Kenton: a stickler for propriety, Stevens warns Miss Kenton against romantic entanglements with other staff members, as the former housekeeper and under-butler just ran off together. Miss Kenton is hired, and Stevens brings in his elderly father, William Stevens, to replace the under-butler. One day, Miss Kenton attempts to liven up Stevens’s quarters with a bouquet of flowers. The butler insists he likes things as they are, and reprimands her for addressing his father as “William” instead of “Mr. Stevens, Sr.” Miss Kenton argues that she is his father’s superior, but Stevens maintains she should call the elderly man by his surname out of respect. Rattled by Stevens’s pedantry, Miss Kenton leaves in a huff. That night, at dinner with the other servants, William Stevens tells an amusing story about a butler who was forced to shoot a tiger inside his employer’s home in India. He is called upstairs to sweep, but absentmindedly leaves the broom and dustpan on a landing. Miss Kenton sees the broom and informs Stevens, who removes it just as their employer, Lord Darlington, descends the stairs. Miss Kenton warns Stevens that his father has been given too much responsibility, but he dismisses her complaint. Shortly after, William Stevens trips and falls on his way to deliver tea to Lord Darlington and his guests. Lord Darlington, a kindly but misguided Nazi sympathizer, is planning an “international conference” to promote peace between England, France, and Nazi Germany, and fears the under-butler might cause a similar scene. Darlington instructs Stevens to reduce his father’s duties, and the butler complies. During the conference, Stevens prioritizes his job, even when his father falls seriously ill. On the final night of the conference, visiting American congressman Jack Lewis speaks out against “amateurs” like Lord Darlington and his guests taking it upon themselves to decide international affairs, and recommends leaving such negotiations to professional politicians. Darlington fires back just as Stevens gets word that his father has passed away. When he finally makes it to his father’s quarters, Stevens sends the doctor to the room of a visiting Frenchman who is complaining of sore feet. Miss Kenton offers her condolences to the detached butler. In need of new housemaids, she hires two German refugees, but Darlington discovers they are Jews and asks Stevens to fire them. When Stevens carries out the orders, Miss Kenton threatens to leave. However, she stays, and hires a new housemaid named Lizzie. She later admits to Stevens that she is a coward and fears the loneliness of the outside world. He assures her she means a great deal to the house, and Miss Kenton is touched. Back in the present, Stevens’s car runs out of gas on the way to Clevedon. At a boardinghouse, patrons mistake him for a wealthy gentleman, and Stevens encourages the confusion by claiming to know Winston Churchill. The conversation leads him to reflect on a time when one of Lord Darlington’s guests ridiculed him for his lack of worldly knowledge. In the morning, a man named Richard Carlisle drives Stevens to buy gasoline, and drops him off at his car. Carlisle guesses that Stevens is a butler, and Stevens admits he lied by omission. Learning that he works at Darlington Hall, Carlisle asks about the late Lord Darlington, who came to be known as a traitor. Ever loyal to his employer, Stevens defends Lord Darlington as a good man who ultimately regretted having been “taken in” by Nazi rhetoric. Continuing on his way to Clevedon, he thinks back to another time with Miss Kenton: she flirtatiously approaches him in his quarters and demands to know what book he is reading. Although she encroaches on his personal space and pries his fingers from the novel, he remains frigid, insisting that he only reads to better his command of the English language. Lizzie, the housemaid, informs Miss Kenton that she and another servant, Charlie, are leaving to get married. Miss Kenton warns Lizzie that living poor is not easy, but Lizzie claims she only needs Charlie. At her nightly meeting with Stevens, Miss Kenton refuses to talk about work and is frustrated by his formality. Having developed an emotional attachment to him, she begins to weep. To her dismay, he suggests discontinuing their meetings. Miss Kenton begins to spend time with former co-worker Thomas Benn on her days off, and eventually agrees to marry him. When she delivers news of her engagement, Stevens maintains his cool demeanor. Miss Kenton tries to provoke him by saying that she and Benn laugh about him behind his back. Later, Stevens overhears Miss Kenton sobbing in her quarters. He interrupts her, but only to tell her about an area of the house that needs dusting. Back in the present, Miss Kenton – now Mrs. Sarah Benn – sees her estranged husband, Thomas, who reveals that their daughter, Catherine, is pregnant, and urges her to come back to him. Afterward, she meets Stevens for tea, and tells him she can no longer take the job at Darlington Hall as she is expecting a grandchild. They reminisce about days past. Mrs. Benn laments her occasionally unhappy marriage and admits she often regrets leaving Darlington Hall. They walk to the pier. As the sun goes down, Mrs. Benn comments that most people look forward to evening as the best part of the day. She asks Stevens what he looks forward to. He answers: getting back to Darlington Hall and hiring new staff. Before they part, Stevens urges her to find happiness with her husband. He apologizes for being so personal, but says they may never meet again. Mrs. Benn cries as she waves to him from the bus. Back at Darlington Hall, Stevens prepares for the arrival of Jack Lewis’s family. A pigeon flies in through the chimney, and he helps Lewis shoo the bird outside.