Arthur and Beryl look forward to a new and peaceful life as the last of their four children leaves home. But they don't even get to taste the first course of their first romantic dinner alone in the house: Paul loses his job, Tracy has a fight with her boyfriend, Nigel changes his mind about school, and they all end up back home again.

Arthur's despair mounts as his oldest daughter Lorraine leaves her husband and returns home. He frantically attempts marriage counseling as his house begins to overcrowd. Beryl, however, does not help things with her overly sympathetic approach.

Neighbor Trevor also suffers from "noisy lodgers", but of a different breed: his wife Vera collects stray animals of all kinds. Trevor and Arthur decide to get away from it all and take a vacation, but only end up in trouble.

The kids decide that Beryl needs a change of lifestyle and plan an exciting new career for her. Arthur decides he has the best answers and sets her up to be a receptionist in a hair salon but, as usual, his plans are soon in a tangle.

Tracy has gone off with a new boyfriend, so Arthur decides to try to find new accommodations for Paul and Nigel as well. Trevor helps him find a perfect room for the boys, but the move stirs up family trouble, and it's Arthur and Trevor who end up out in the cold.