Architect Martin Kelly singlehandedly raises his children Simon, Debbie and Jenny. His wife Margaret had died three years prior to the start of the series.
Martin runs his own architectural business from the family home in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood. He employs his cousin Betty Wilson, a good natured ditz from the New South Wales country town of Walgett, as his secretary.
Many episodes deal with the daily stresses Martin faces as the family patriarch, such as settling arguments amongst his children. He frequently endures Betty's elaborate excuses for tardiness and is constantly frustrated with her delayed productivity at work. Simon's best friend is Gerald "Nudge" Noritis, a neighbour who constantly helps himself to whatever food he can find in the Kellys' kitchen.
In early episodes the show briefly examines how the characters are struggling to deal with the absence of Margaret from their lives. Martin also breaks the fourth wall several times to deliver sarcastic one-liners to camera. This trait is quickly dropped after the first 12 episodes.
