Lisa is the mother of the bride. But a white wedding in England is not what daughter Sophie has in mind, upsetting her prospective mother-in-law and her stepfather Bill, Lisa's husband, into the bargain. Lisa prepares for the wedding in Alonysos, a beautiful little Greek Island in the Aegean Sea. Bill has been made redundant, and money is short, but Lisa wants to pull out all the stops to give Sophie what she wants. At last, after a disastrous but hilarious journey by plane, taxi, bus and hydrofoil, Lisa and Bill, along with bride and groom, arrive on the Island, followed by twelve friends and family ranging in age from six months to sixty. The guests include Sophie's brother and his wife and her family, who have provided a beautiful villa. With different backgrounds and points of view, all try to settle down to enjoy each other's company, from a gay couple to a homophobe. But sparks do fly, particularly between Lisa and Bill. Lisa feels misunderstood by her children and somewhat taken advantage of . . . and she senses not all is right with Bill either. There is something she is missing, but she can't quite put her finger on it. She thinks about her life as she sits in the local taverna in the sweltering sun, watching a cat play with a lizard. If the cat bites off the tail, will it grow another one?