In a small provincial town, Billy and Breda are approaching their 10th wedding anniversary. With two young children, their married life has disintegrated into a stale monotony, and the distance between them seems to grow by the day. He spends his time with the lads at the local pub, leaving Breda home watching television with the children. Billy clings to booze, his past glory (he was branded a local hero when he rescued a child from drowning in a river), and sexual fantasies about a younger woman. Breda, rather, holds onto an inkling of optimism for the future, believing the big anniversary will be the perfect chance to fix their dire situation. But as the date approaches, the reality of Billy and Breda's different needs and desires is slowly uncovered-to each other and to themselves.