Away From Her is a beautifully moving love story that deals with memory and tribulations of a long marriage. Together for fifty years, the union between Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) appears unwavering, and their everyday life is full of tenderness and humour. This facade of serenity is broken only by the occasional reference to more troubled times in their past – lapses that are a result of Fiona's increasing struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Confined to a retirement home, Grant watches helplessly as Fiona becomes a stranger, her memory rapidly deteriorating. Fearful for his wife's worsening condition, Grant embarks on his greatest act of self-sacrifice as a means to attain Fiona's final happiness.