Claire (Catherine Frot) is a midwife who works in a small but busy clinic. Daily she witnesses the overwhelming joy and pleasure of parents holding their newborns. She is a very private person who lives in a working-class neighborhood and rides her bicycle to work. At 49 years, Claire is at a crossroads in her life and not sure where she wants to go next. She has already given notice that she has no intention of ever working in what she sees as a "baby factory," a state-of-the-art impersonal hospital.

Her experience of taking stock is complicated by news from her son Simon (Quentin Dolmaire) that he has decided to drop out of medical school in order to become a midwife. But the major event that shakes her to the core is the resurfacing in her life of Beatrice (Catherine Deneuve) whom she has not seen for 35 years. This free-spirited woman was the mistress of Claire's late father who committed suicide after she left him.

Martin Provost (Seraphine) directs this French dramedy which takes within its wide embrace the ambiguities of middle age, friendship, death, forgiveness, and the spiritual surprises of transformation. Claire is a committed woman who has dedicated her life to the service of others. The fact that she doesn't drink or eat meat strikes Beatrice as being an affront to the enjoyment of life.

After having an operation for cancer, Beatrice moves in with the tightly-wound Claire and the two women begin an unexpected intimacy that renews each one of them. Claire is emboldened to take advantage of a romantic affair with Paul (Olivier Gourmet), a laid-back truck-driver, and Beatrice receives the forgiveness she is seeking from Claire.

This satisfying dramedy is sure to touch the hearts of all middle-agers who are yearning to discover fresh horizons and new adventures.