Plot

A young woman who dreams of becoming a children's book author makes an unlikely friendship with a cantankerous, rich old widower.

A contemporary fairy tale revolving around the most unlikely of friendships: between a reclusive, agoraphobic young woman (Findlay) with dreams of being a children's-book author and a curmudgeonly old widower (Wilkinson), set against the backdrop of a beautiful garden in the heart of London.

The audience hears a man with a British accent tell the story of Bella Brown. She is a young and unusual girl being raised in an orphanage by nuns. It is a miracle that she survived, he says, because she was abandoned in a park and ducks took care of her, sitting on her to keep her warm, until a strange old man getting his exercise rescued her. The narrator goes on to explain that Bella values order and is very meticulous about controlling those things she can, and very frightened of weather which she can't control.

Bella is shown as an adult at a typewriter. The narrator ends the story by saying he is unfortunate enough to be her neighbor. Bella is trying to write a children's book. She is shown making sure everything in her house is just perfect, and though attractive, dressed very conservatively. And then she is shown getting an assignment at work, at a library. The job seems well suited to someone like her. Billy comes in to do research on Leonardo da Vinci but he talks too loud and Mrs. Bramble is very strict. In fact, to keep things quiet, she often holds up a sign to which letters are attached. Billy also eats and drinks despite being told not to, but Mrs. Bramble hasn't caught him yet. Bella seems interested in him and when he leaves a sheet of paper behind, Bella takes it home and tries to make out what was written on the paper above it, but a strong wind blows it outside. Bella climbs a tree to retrieve it and falls.

Bella wakes up being treated by Milly, the doctor of her cranky rich neighbor Alfie Stevenson. She will be all right, but Alfie is constantly complaining and he doesn't approve of Bella, whose garden is a disaster area. He is also demanding his cook Vernon give him what he wants. He also claims to be very sick and Milly just tells him he needs to take his medication and he'll be fine. Vernon walks in and he and Bella start talking. When they speak to each other in Gaelic there is a real connection. Which annoys Alfie, who continues to abuse the man, even when Vernon says his babysitter will be expecting him.

The next morning Vernon shows up at Bella's door with his young twin girls. He is a widower who must work for the demanding Alfie to support them. He makes breakfast for Bella, who wonders why Vernon puts up with Alfie's behavior. Bella takes longer than she should have to get to work and is reprimanded by Mrs. Bramble, who won't put up with much more.

Vernon did Bella's laundry, which was a mistake because the girls' red socks turned everything pink. Bella does need some color in her life, but she is never shown wearing or using any of the pink items.

Alfie is finally fed up with Vernon and lets him go, but Vernon claims to have rights under the laws of the country. He says he must be given five months' notice. Alfie reluctantly agrees to an arrangement where apparently he will pay Vernon for cooking for Bella, who can't afford to pay him.

O'Brien the landlord shows up. He says he has gotten complaints (wonder from who?) about the state of Bella's garden. He goes out to look and it's worse than he expected. O'Brien is all set to throw Bella out because her contract states she must maintain the garden, which she obviously hadn't. But Vernon shows up claiming to be the gardener and tells O'Brien what rights Bella has. Whether she really does have such rights or not is uncertain, but O'Brien gives in and lets Bella have a month to fix the problems with the garden.

Vernon can't help. He has terrible allergies. And Bella is faced with a task that is just too overwhelming, but she tries. Meanwhile, Alfie is demanding his cook back and Bella refuses. On one occasion, Alfie calls her on the telephone politely stating that he is dying and needs desperately to have a few things to enjoy about the life he has left. Bella is ready to give in but Vernon can tell from what she says that Alfie is trying to con her and tells Bella not to believe it.

Billy continues to return to the library. Mrs. Bramble is all ready to fire Bella but Bella is so helpful telling Billy what the library has on the topics he is researching, Mrs. Bramble realizes she has to keep Bella. Eventually, Billy and Bella meet outside the library and after they are together in the park when she feeds the ducks, he takes her to the garage full of junk where he creates robotic animals. Billy say he has two brothers and each of them inherited part of the family's property. The garage is his. Bella tells part of the story that she is trying to write, about a flightless bird named Luna.

Alfie's efforts to get his cook back include coming to the library, where he politely asks for help learning how to do his own cooking. Bella is equally polite and tries to help and then he starts cursing at her because she put him in this position and he even complains about her to Mrs. Bramble, who tells him to leave immediately or she will call the cops.

Vernon agrees to cook for Alfie again but will not enter the house. He will do the cooking at Bella's house and deliver the food in a manner resembling how prisoners in solitary get their meals.

Bella continues her futile efforts to repair the mess in her garden, constantly criticized by Alfie, who secretly gives her a book which he later reveals was written by a friend. Over time, he actually starts helping Bella, and one day he brings her over to see the magnificent garden he has, and he kindly tells her details that will help her do everything right. Alfie becomes more of a friend and much more pleasant. Bella soon has the garden looking much better but there are specific details she will have to keep in mind. She has to rescue one plant during a terrible storm which she fears has ruined everything.

Billy finally gets caught eating at the library and is thrown out. When Bella leaves work, he is there to meet her and she uses her key to sneak him inside, and she continues to tell the story of Luna.

One day Bella oversleeps and Vernon wakes her. She has only 30 minutes to get to work and she doesn't even make sure the door is locked, though Vernon is there anyway. Mrs. Bramble gives her the terrible news 15 minutes after she is supposed to have arrived at work, using a sign. "You're fried."

Bella is supposed to meet Billy. She is dressed in the dowdy way she normally does, when she sees Billy having fun with a beautiful girl dressed for fun.

Soon Bella can't even get out of bed. She doesn't care that O'Brien will be there in a few days and the garden isn't finished. Alfie comes over and tells her in his cranky way that she needs to start living again. He explains that he too went through a similar situation when his wife Rose died in childbirth and the baby died too. Rose was the horticulturist who wrote the book (using a pseudonym that made people think she was a man). She was the reason his garden looked so good and why he loved plants so much. Bella gets out of bed and resumes her efforts, including the children's book.

Bella and Milly go out together and Milly gets drunk.

When it is time for O'Brien to show up, Alfie, Vernon and the girls make sure everything is very special. Bella is pleasantly surprised when she and Milly return, and O'Brien is too. The nice garden makes the property worth more and more rent must be paid. Vernon protests and Alfie says something to O'Brien. Bella will be able to keep the house.

Arriving at the same time is Billy, who is on crutches. Bella is angry he stood her up, cheated on her, and then never bothered to contact her. Billy says he had an accident and was in hospital. Bella doesn't believe him because of the girl, then he realizes she saw his brother who looks just like him and is a womanizer.

Bella finally accepts the story and they spend time together. Billy gets a phone call (everyone has a landline, and no one is shown with a mobile, though the library has a sign saying silence mobiles), He hands the phone to Bella, who is shocked. In the next scene, she, Vernon and the twins and Milly are shown standing in the garden as if at a funeral. Bella is dressed as she usually does, but the others are clearly dressed for the occasion.

Bella opens an envelope and the audience hears Alfie read a letter explaining that Vernon gets his house and Bella can continue to live in her house, which it turns out he owned.

Bella is shown reading her children's book to a group. The audio of her reading continues but the video changes to her reading to her "family", and then to Mrs. Bramble who finally smiles and puts Bella's book on the library shelf. The title of the book is "This Beautiful Fantastic".