Kate Mundy (Streep) is the eldest of five sisters living together in a small house in Ireland in 1936. The only one with a steady job, Kate oversees the various conflicting personalities. Though none of the women is married, Christina (McCormack) has a young son named Michael. The household works well in its fashion, but after the sisters' senile brother, Jack (Gambon), shows up, and then Michael's father, Gerry (Ifans), things are unlikely to stay the same.