Grace Annette Bening and Edward Bill Nighy have shared a long, weathered life at a seaside home in Seaford, Sussex, near the rugged cliffs of Hope Gap. Their 29-year marriage sits under pressure: Grace is devout, literary, emotionally exacting, and at times physically sharp, frequently voicing her discontent with Edward’s quiet, passive stance. Edward, a high school history teacher, is withdrawn and sorely unhappy, retreating into silence as a way to dodge open conflict.
Their adult son, Jamie Josh O'Connor, travels from London to spend a weekend with them at Edward’s request. On arrival, Edward privately confesses that he intends to leave Grace the following day. He explains that he has fallen in love with Angela, the mother of a former student, and that they have been seeing each other for about a year. Jamie, deeply distressed, agrees not to tell his mother and tries to hold the family together, caught between Grace’s volatility and his father’s determined, almost serene clarity.
The next day, while Grace is at church, Edward packs his belongings and leaves to begin a new life with Angela. When Grace returns, he breaks the news. She is blindsided and cannot accept that the bonds of their marriage might truly be broken. She clings to the hope of reconciliation, while Edward stands firm, insisting there is no path back to what they had and choosing to live with Angela.
In the weeks that follow, Grace swings between denial, rage, and deep, grinding depression. She refuses to sign divorce papers, and she cycles through attempts to regain control—even impulsively bringing home a puppy she cannot manage. Jamie is frequently summoned back to Seaford to mediate, but he finds himself stuck between his mother’s volatility and his father’s stubborn reticence to engage in dialogue.
Grace eventually tracks down Angela’s home and confronts the couple, hoping to force a change. The encounter only reinforces Edward’s decision. Angela tells Grace that before the separation there were three unhappy people, but now there is only one.
Struggling to find meaning, Grace contemplates the cliffs of Hope Gap as a possible end. She considers suicide, but she is stopped by the thought of the trauma it would inflict on Jamie. Over time, she begins to heal, discovering purpose by volunteering at a crisis helpline, where she channels her own grief into helping others.
Years pass, and the family reunites for a final meeting to formalize the divorce. The atmosphere is calmer than before. Grace tells Edward that she is no longer unhappy, but simply “getting there.” She gives him a copy of the poetry anthology she has been compiling, a quiet symbol of her evolving sense of self. The film closes with Jamie walking alone along the cliffs, Grace’s voiceover reflecting on Hope Gap—the space between the life one hopes for and the reality one must endure.
