It is 1957 and the Noone family is moving into a new house in Dublin. Presiding over the event is the Removals Man, who steps in and out of the action to explain the characters and their stories. The second half of the play is set in 1987 and the same family, no older than before, is moving into an even better house, their new relationships reflecting the revolutions that have taken place in family life in the intervening years.