A recently widowed eccentric with money to burn and no intentions of settling down enlists the aid of a showbiz professional to transform a run-down theater in Soho into London’s most innovative entertainment hot spot in director Stephen Frears’ (Florence Foster Jenkins) cinematic account of the groundbreaking Windmill Theater. The year is 1937 and, despite having recently lost her husband, 69-year-old Laura Henderson (Judi Dench) remains as ambitious and vital as ever. Aghast at her friend Lady Conway’s (Thelma Barlow) suggestion that she take up a mundane hobby such as diamond collecting to pass the time, Mrs. Henderson instead shocks her well-to-do social circle by purchasing the ramshackle Windmill Theater in the heart of downtown Soho. Unafraid to take a risk in the venture, yet lacking the experience needed to run the theater, Mrs. Henderson brings in showbiz veteran Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to line up an opening act that will set the stage ablaze.