"The Flying Inn" is set in a near-future England where a series of laws have been passed that effectively prohibit the consumption of alcohol, a reflection of the temperance movement of Chesterton's time. The novel follows the adventures of the protagonists, Humphrey Pump (a publican) and Captain Patrick Dalroy (an Irish sea captain), as they rebel against the new laws.Armed with a barrel of rum, a wheel of cheese, and a sign from the inn, they travel across England in a cart, setting up impromptu pubs wherever they go. As they evade the authorities, they become symbols of resistance against the increasing governmental and societal control that seeks to eradicate traditional English customs and freedoms.