Bella Brown (Findlay) is a quirky aspiring writer who keeps her house meticulous, but never ventures into the garden due to her fear of plants. After a complaint from her neighbor, Alfie Stephenson (Wilkinson), the landlord gives her one month to get the garden in shape. Subplots include Bella "stealing" Alfie's cook Vernon (Scott) and her falling in love with eccentric inventor Billy (Irvine).
This film provides examples of:
- Ambiguous Time Period: The film apparently takes place in present-day London, but all the technology is pre-digital and the costumes look vaguely period.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Bella has a mental breakdown after apparently seeing Billy cheating on her, but it turns out she saw one of Billy's identical triplet brothers.
- Grumpy Old Man: Alfie is both old and grumpy.
- A Minor Kidroduction: Bella is introduced as a baby and a child before growing up into Jessica Brown Findlay.
- Nature Lover: Alfie, which is why he's so outraged by the neglectful state of Bella's garden.
- Neat Freak: Bella, arguably to the point of OCD, or at least it would be if the movie were of a more realistic bent.
- Most Writers Are Writers: Bella is an aspiring children's author.
- Scary Librarian: Bella's boss at the library where she works.
