When Annie's husband John dies of leukaemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow Women's Institute members to pose nude with them for an 'alternative' calendar. The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small Yorkshire village of Knapeley. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie's friendship is put to the test under the strain of their new-found fame. "Calendar Girls" opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre and has since become the fastest selling play in British theatre history.