The Woolryches are an old English family with traditional old English attitudes. In this moving film, four generations of the Woolryches gather for a reunion which they hope can resolve some of their long-standing differences and bring the family closer together.
But being a family is about more than sharing a name, no matter how notable. If the reunion is to succeed, the Woolryches will need to overcome their stiff upper lip and, for the first time, express their true feelings for each other.
Michael, the 83-year-old patriarch of the family, is passionate about the Woolryches' distinguished heritage. He has spent years researching the family tree and can trace his ancestors back hundreds of years to the days when they were wealthy landed gentry. But Michael is less enthusiastic about some of his living relatives - in particular his younger brother Toby.
The two siblings have never been close, boarding school and careers in the military saw to that, but their relationship broke down altogether following the death of their father. As the eldest son, it was Michael who became head of the family and inherited everything, while Toby was left to fend for himself.
The brothers' subsequent disagreement has centred, symbolically, on one single item - a portrait of their mother, which Michael insists was left to him. Toby disagrees and refuses to part with it. It is a feud that has kept the ageing brothers apart for decades and at the reunion the family are hoping they can finally settle their differences before it's too late.
Toby is sceptical about the possibility of reconciliation with his brother. His priority for the weekend is to try and mend the fractured relationship with his long-lost daughter Elizabeth, who he hasn't spoken to for years. Show less