Berry Cottrell (Lenny Henry), in his forties and recently divorced, has his hands full with a tearaway son and the family's ailing dry-cleaning business. Frustrated, Berry embarks upon an Open University course in English Literature to prove to everyone, including himself, that he still has a brain. Berry joins a motley study group, run by hyperactive lecturer Charles (Ron Cook), the members of which have one month to prove that they can make the grade.