AcomictaleofeccentricMichaelSleep(PearceQuigley)who,sincehisdarlingCleadisappearedsevenyearsago,haslivedaveryordinarylife.HeeatsShreddies,worksinaDIYstore,visitsdadBrian(MichaelPalin)andhopesforCleatoreturn.Thatisjustthewayitis,untilonedaydadBriansharesanoldrecipeinvolvingrainwater,horsemanureandmorethanalittlealchemy.Withrecipeinhand,Michaelsetsout(albeitwithsomescepticism)tocreateHomunculi–magicalprophesyingspiritsthatcanpredictthefuture–inthehopetheyhavetheanswertohisburningquestion,‘willIeverseeCleaagain?’.MichaelgetshelpfromyoungworkmateKacey(LaurenPatel),anunlikelyfriendshipthatblossomspartly(butnotwholly)throughtheirmutualdislikeofstoremanagerGordon(Crook).Theirfriendshipaddstothefrustrationandintrigueofhisnosyneighbours(SophieWillan,JonPointing)whoareobsessedwithtryingtofindoutwhatthehellisgoingoninthegardenshed.