Whitewashing the walls and unintentionally the entire garden of a suburban home, mistaken identity causes the Optimist (Enn Reitel) to be hailed a new impressionist painter. His absurd abstracts sell for thousands and the art world flocks to this new master of the brush for his signature on sausages. When his muse, Mimi (Julie Peasgood), suddenly leaves, he is left in despair and attempts to paint his defining piece of art. Unveiled, the oil painting of three kittens is derided as a disaster. But back on the streets as a labourer, the Optimist unwittingly creates a true masterpiece.