Daniel receives a call from his elderly mother; his father Leonard, has got stuck on the sofa. He travels to their remote farm to discover that they have fallen over the edge of eccentricity into outright squalor. With a only few days free from work Daniel tries to help but his parents are unable to adapt to their new circumstances. Maria continues with her gloriously impractical style. Leonard uses his professional skills as psychiatrist to thwart Daniel. Maria dies suddenly. Leonard is forced to leave the family home. Daniel returns to London with a freedom that his parents had lost.