PR consultant Edina Monsoon wakes up with yet another hangover, but receives no sympathy from her studious daughter, Saffron. When best friend Patsy turns up, the fun continues, until a crisis at work forces Edina into action.

After waking to find she has gained weight, Edina becomes obsessed with dieting, which is only exacerbated when she finds out an old, ever thin, nemesis intends to pay her a visit.

In an attempt to escape from it all, Edina and Patsy take a trip to the south of France, which inevitably turns disastrous.

Banned from attending Saffron's college day, Edina tries to get her own back by threatening to adopt a Romanian baby, a scheme which totally backfires.

On her 40th birthday, Edina deals with her feelings about reaching the milestone age, and the grim family party Saffron has arranged for the occasion.

At one of her sporadic appearances at work, Patsy is roped into appearing on television in a makeover segment and forced to turn to Saffron for help.