The Churches being painted are Fanny and Gardner Church, remnants of a once flourishing tribe of Boston blue bloods.  Gardner, an eminent poet, has started a graceful descent into senility so his wife Fanny is packing up their Beacon Hill townhouse for a permanent move to their cottage on Cape Cod.

Their daughter Mags, an artist who lives and works in New York City, is desperate to paint their portrait before they fade from view, but will they hold still?

Hilarity and anguish prevail during a week of packing, posing and remembering.