Elling has lived with his moher his whole life. He doesn't feel the need to go out and meet other people, and his days consist of watching their neighbour with his binoculars. That's why he is not very enthusiastic when his mother suddenly decides that they are to go to Mallorca. But even though he is not very enthusiastic, he goes along, because as he says – a woman at mother’s age needs "a steady guy by her side…" Elling does not want to realise that his mother not only is old, but also sick. She is very sick. On her last trip she tries to get Elling to realise that life is bigger than their apartment.