Troubled matriarch and widowed grandmother Irene lives alone in a decaying family villa, where she frets about her wayward children and her roses in equal measure.

Since the death of her husband, eldest daughter Sara has lived in emotional solitude, unable to open up even to her adolescent son, Marco. She fills the gap by obsessing about whether he might have an accident, that he might be on drugs or - worse still - that he might be gay like his uncle Claudio.

Claudio himself feels detached from the family, initially able to accept himself as a gay man only through sexual contact without emotional ties, despite the offer of support from a loving partner. Claudio has never somehow managed to tell his mother about his sexual orientation and even though a successful lawyer, this need for secrecy puts a strain on his relationship.

The middle child, Rita, is apparently the most settled but her passion for veterinarian David acts as a line of fracture, splitting her apart from her husband Carlo.

Italian with English Subtitles
DVD 2 FOR 15