Tom Thompson, Liam Neeson, and his wife Joan Thompson, Lesley Manville, have built a long, easygoing marriage grounded in daily routines, warmth, and shared humor. They keep a tidy home, share a pet goldfish that Joan doesn’t care for, and their simple exercise routine—a long walk through town that ends at a freshly planted sapling—feels like a small, hopeful ritual.
One evening, Joan discovers a lump in her breast and is diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors plan to remove the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes. On the day of Joan’s surgery, Tom visits the grave of their daughter Debbie and admits to her that he is afraid of being left alone if Joan is gone.
Joan’s operation is successful, and the doctors remove all physical signs of cancer, with chemotherapy to follow. Tom notices his fish has died and he breaks down, crying as he flushes it away. While waiting for Joan’s chemotherapy appointment, Debbie’s primary school teacher, David Wilmot, is seen in the lobby and tells Joan that he has terminal cancer, prompting a quiet, poignant reflection on mortality.
Joan’s first chemotherapy session is difficult, and she experiences heavy vomiting the next day. Her hair begins to fall out in clumps; Tom cuts it short and then shaves her head. A disagreement about what it means to be “cancer-free” surfaces, highlighting how the disease strains their marriage as medication schedules blur and memory falters. Donning a wig, Joan meets Peter at a café to discuss their shared sense of mortality.
Tom later encounters a man smoking on a bench outside the chemotherapy clinic—the Smoking Man, Lalor Roddy—a terminal cancer patient who reassures him that doctors can still save Joan.
To celebrate a moment of closeness, Joan and Tom plan a romantic hotel night. They share a lovely dinner and intimate moments, and Tom reaffirms his commitment to loving Joan regardless of physical changes. Joan undergoes a mastectomy and additional rounds of chemotherapy; Tom waits outside by the bench, but the smoking man does not reappear. When Peter visits, Tom meets Steve, Amit Shah, Peter’s husband, in the hospital cafeteria, and the two men speak about their experiences with love and loss.
Some time later, Joan undergoes reconstructive breast surgery using abdominal tissue. They attend Peter’s funeral, where Steve delivers a eulogy. After completing treatment, Joan and Tom shop for Christmas groceries and later invite Steve to join them for Christmas dinner. They resume their regular walk, and they find that the sapling has grown, a small sign of renewal amid their ongoing journey.
