Kristy Dunwoody, a now jobless ex-banking high flier, is moving from her expensive uptown apartment in New York to a fourth-floor walk-up studio on the wrong side of town and she's vowing not to tell her family of her reduced circumstances when she returns home for her mother's surprise 70th birthday. Olivia Morgan, harassed wife and mother of three, put upon daughter and sister-in-law, is trying to organize her mother's party, do her Christmas shopping and clear out the guest room for Kristy's homecoming. Esther Dunwoody is dreading her birthday. She hopes there won't be a fuss. She'd much rather get on with making the Christmas puddings and look forward to decorating the tree with her precious grandchildren. Little does she know there's a big celebration in store ...and there will certainly be surprises.