London, 1939. War is looming as the director of the National Gallery faces an unbearable task. The entire collection must be hidden in a filthy slate mine near a small Welsh village. A young man's obsession with one particularly raunchy Rembrandt and a torrential rainstorm bring the villagers together to rescue the pictures, hanging them around town -- the pub, washing lines and homes. In the process, their lives (and love) are tickled by a new appreciation of spectacular works.