Tom and Gerri, living in perfect harmony for sixty years, are the calm center of their family and friends.

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Still fit and active, Tom is a geologist and Gerri is a psychologist. They spend their free time on their garden plot, which they work as a hobby. They have a good relationship with their bachelor son Joe and friends less lucky than they, like Mary and Ken. But the egocentric Mary tends to infringe on one's space. Will Tom and Gerri lose their patience?

Director Mike Leigh is fascinated by “ordinary” people. His creations are never simplistic: the character of Poppy (Happy-Go-Lucky) tended towards the exasperating in the long run, and the high-strung Mary, in her search for a mate, is no less grating. Once they lose their masks, however, they become very moving characters. Like Voltaire's “Candide”, whose conclusion was “we must cultivate our garden”, Leigh uses common sense and humor to remind his audience it's never too late to take charge of our lives.