佩妮洛普·基琳在63岁时得了轻微的心脏病，她不愿待在医院，便回家休养。可她的子女担心母亲的身体状况，试图替她包办一切琐事，还叫她把一批珍藏的古画（包括一副“寻贝壳者”）卖掉换钱……子女的自私心态让老人寒心，而佩妮洛普只想在这些古画中寻求往昔的回忆。

After a mild heart attack at 63, Penelope Keeling is not ready to be an invalid yet...despite her children's attempts to take control of her life. She's given them everything she could over the years, but now they want Penelope to sell her most prized possession. Torn between the selfish demands of her children and her desire to hold onto cherished mementos of the past, Penelope must learn what is really important to her. She returns to the seashore, the only place she was ever truly free, in an unforgettable odyssey that will take her back to her home, her heart and another chance for happiness.

Penelope Keeling verlässt nach einem Herzinfarkt die Klinik auf eigenen Wunsch und in eigener Verantwortung und kehrt in ihr Heim, ein Landhaus in den Cotswolds, zurück. Penelopes Tochter Nancy, die mit ihrer Familie ganz in der Nähe lebt, kritisiert ihre Mutter, dass sie das Krankenhaus entgegen dem Rat der Ärzte verlassen hat.

남편없이 혼자 살아가고 있는 페넬로페에게는 낸시, 노엘, 올리비아라는 세남매가 있다. 어느날, 페넬로페 아버지의 그림값이 치솟게 되고, 낸시와 노엘은 그 그림을 팔아달라며 도움을 요청하지만, 그녀는 이를 거절하고 콘웰로 떠난다. 이곳에서 옛일들을 떠올리며 회상에 젖지만...이 일로 그녀는 자식들과 갈등을 겪게 되는데...