Ellie (Hayley Atwell) is a young girl left in charge of a retirement home over the Christmas period. Whilst most of the residents have left to spend the festive period with their families, four residents, known as The Hard Core remain. They have all led interesting lives but now in their twilight years they have become impossible to live with - rude and objectionable but often hilariously funny. In fact, their behaviour is so terrible that the home faces closure as potential new residents are put off by their appalling antics. Ellie would appear to be no match for The Hard Core but when she is pushed to the very limits, she decides to take them on. She succeeds in beating them at their own game and manages to show them the error of their ways. As well as changing them, she also realises that The Hard Core have changed her too in quite an unexpected way.