Rocked by early family tragedy, Kenneth Grahame idealizes a brief childhood idyll in rural England to such a degree that he becomes a reluctant city dweller and an even more reluctant adult. Believing that an aging, chirpy spinster shares his whimsical view of life, he drifts into marriage, only to find he is isolated with a compulsive, self-centred, hypocondriac. The one thing they have in common is their son--a precocious, insecure lad who is also physically handicapped. Grahame's refusal to recognize the true natures of either wife or son, coupled with his inability to let go of his unrealistic view of childhood, leads directly to the greatest personal loss of his life.
