After a debilitating stroke, Balmy Knight moves in with her daughter's family. As she begins to recover her health, she misses her independence. Finding her days full of tedious boredom, Balmy uses mischievous antics to add excitement to her life. Her only joy comes from disobeying her daughter's rules, aggravating her son-in-law, and feeding buttermilk biscuits to Jake, the homeless guy who lives in a cardboard box.

Life becomes complicated when Balmy's old friend, Sunny Day-from her Broadway-performing days in the Sixties-arrives from Hollywood and invites her to share her luxury apartment in a high-rise retirement community. When her daughter forbids it, Balmy and Sunny plot to change her mind.

After a visit to the Villas at Kensington Grove, Balmy's daughter realizes it would be the perfect place for her mother to live out her golden years. At the Villas, Balmy is wooed by a charming, rich British gentleman, who still has all his hair and teeth. But Balmy's heart longs for the mysterious Jake, who has vanished-along with his cardboard box.