The Schlegel sisters- Margaret and Helen- love inner life and prize personal relationships. The members of the Wilcox family, except Ruth, are concerned only with the outer life unaware of the existence of any other life.
The motto of the novel, "Only connect...', Margaret's whole sermon that resonates throughout the novel, is substantiated through the interactions of the two families. Forster's complex use of the structural rhythm of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony with different characters corresponding to different movements, crescendos and diminuendos, makes the motto overwhelmingly meaningful and significant.

The story evolves round Howard's End, the house which, more than just a place, is a symbol of peace and harmony, has a spirit of its own and would admit as its owner only the most deserving person. Through a series of accidents and coincidences the house which originally belonged to Ruth Wilcox finally finds its 'true' owner. Who inherits the house?