Actor Tom Conti, mercurial gardener Diarmuid Gavin, ex-athlete Tessa Sanderson, singer Tony Christie and presenter Penny Smith explore and enjoy life in the slow lane aboard two barges, narrow-boating along two of France's best-loved waterways - the River Lot and the Canal du Midi. After meeting each other and moving into their boats, the usually unflappable Penny needs rescuing after tangling with a tree. Tom takes charge of their mini-fleet, but gets into a scrape of his own, while below deck Diarmuid targets Tony for some gentle ribbing, while Tessa resents being bossed about.