 Three 40-something women in a small English town meet weekly for a ritual of gin, cigarettes, and sweets -- and swapped stories arguing which of them has the most pathetic love life. Kate (MacDowell) is headmistress at the local school; her best friends are the town s police chief (Staunton) and a cynical, thrice-divorced doctor (Chancellor). When Kate begins a fling with a handsome younger man (Doughty), less worldly than her friends but passionate and sincere, the other women can t simply be happy for the couple s unusual new romance. In jealousy they promptly take it upon themselves to break up the pair, taking drastic measures which result in unintended outcomes, some happy and some tragic.