Ethel and Norman Thayer return to their Maine summer home on Golden Pond for the 44th year. The curmudgeonly Norman -- who is nearly 80-years-old -- has a wry sense of humor that includes joking about his failing memory and his belief that his days are numbered. Norman and the spry, frank Ethel, who is 10 years younger than Norman, clearly care deeply about one another -- despite their bickering. The Thayers' predictable summer regimen -- which includes Norman's fishing, Ethel's berry picking and visits by the kind, but simple mailman Charlie -- is impacted by a rare visit from their divorced 42-year-old daughter, Chelsea, her dentist boyfriend, Bill Ray, and his 13-year-old son, Billy. Billy's energy and eagerness to fish bring out a side of Norman that Ethel hasn't seen in decades. Meanwhile, after experiencing the usual awkward moments with her father, Chelsea finally tells him what she has long sought -- and still desires -- from her relationship with him.
