A troubled British widow searches for a meaning to her life. 63-year-old Penelope Keeling, daughter of an artist, lives alone and fairly comfortably in England's Cotswold countryside. But at the outset of the film, Penelope suffers a heart attack. That brush with death moves her to reflect on her often embattled relationships with her three adult children, whose own quests for happiness have not been especially fulfilling. Confused and insecure, Penelope embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery, frequently reflecting back on the memorable years that shaped her character during World War II.