Veronica is an 85-year-old divorcée. She thinks fondly about her beauty when younger and has since made a fortune in real estate investments. Now, she lives alone on an estate in Scotland and employs a housekeeper and a gardener. Veronica prefers to keep other people at a distance. She also tries to distance herself from her painful past. Victoria experienced the loss of her parents, her lover, and her baby son in quick succession while still a teenager. She has kept a lock of hair from each of them in a locket around her neck. Veronica only discloses her private misery to the pages of her diaries, which she keeps locked away.

Although she is deeply mistrustful of other people, Veronica finds a long-lost grandson and hopes the connection will provide a new lease on life. When their first meeting goes badly, Veronica tries to give her life meaning by donating money to a penguin research center in Antarctica. Her experiences there and the bond she develops with an orphaned penguin transform her life. The more she is willing to learn about her grandson Patrick, and the more she teaches him about her life, causes an inner transformation in Veronica as well.