Pascale is long divorced and lives with her grown-up twin sons, Thierry and François, in a house left to them by her former husband. The boys are friendly towards him, which annoys the mother, and the tension in their relationship increases when she hints that she and their neighbour are thinking of starting up a B&B, and that they´ll have to sell the house to free up some money. The twins are incensed and will hear nothing of the sale. The atmosphere in the house thickens and the neurotic mother, determined to get her way, both deliberately and unwittingly sets the brothers against each other, which brings them to the brink of tragedy. The film lays bare the notion that the sons are unable to accept the responsibility of adulthood, but a critical eye is cast primarily on the mother. Isabelle Huppert gives a convincing performance in the role of the erratic and immature aging woman whose eternally girlish appearance only reinforces her selfish claim to her own happiness, even at the cost of betraying those closest to her.