When nurse Ann Venables goes to Africa to help out with a disaster relief effort, she leaves her teenage children Alex and Molly in the care of her ex Jimmy and her mother Diana. The kids try to exploit the fact that the easygoing handyman and his posh ex-mother-in-law cross swords at every turn, ultimately leading to the realisation that in order to survive their mom's absence, the kids need them both.

Jimmy overcompensates for his previous paternal failings by letting his kids throw a party. Knowing Diana would disapprove, Jimmy agrees not to tell her and keep her away on party night. Under the pretext of seeking advice on matters 'too personal' to discuss around the kids, he invites her to dinner. At Diana's favourite restaurant, Jimmy discovers that while he and the kids have been sneaking around behind Diana's back, Diana has been sneaking around theirs.

After Jimmy's van and all its contents—including his tools and his jacket with his keys in the pocket—gets stolen, Diana insists they change all the locks. This leads to a standoff between Jimmy's laissez-faire attitude and Diana's belief in the heat of battle about whose house this is, Diana reminds Jimmy that since she and her husband gave Ann the deposit on for the house, the place is partly hers.

Jimmy's financial woes are getting out of hand and he has to nick the kids' money on the sly, until he gets caught by Diana when he is in fiduciary trouble at the bank,

When Alex's teacher writes home to say that 'Alex is possibly gifted but we'll never know because he has the attention span of a gnat', Jimmy latches onto 'gifted' while Diana's focus is on 'not living up to his pontential'. Alex being under the microscope gives Molly the chance to fly under the radar and do what she wants for a while.

Jimmy loses at a pub quiz and he seeks Diana's help for the next one. Diana goes along for a fun night out. Molly stays out with a friend but returns in the early morning hours.

Ann's colleague and new partner Dr. Howard Banks visits to raise relief funds. Diana and the kids like him but Jimmy doesn't, and the disdain deepens when Howard tells Diana that he and Ann want Molly and Alex to live with them in Africa.