Cora (Bonham Carter) is a penniless mother of two who decides that she's had enough of men and the trouble they bring. Teaming up with shy cartoonist Ellen (McKee), who's just dumped her swinish boyfriend (Purefoy), Cora decides to grab life by the throat. But with children and a dark secret about the true identity of one of the fathers, life might not be so easy to conquer.