A touchingly honest and, sometimes, zany look at the challenges of aging, Potato Gumbo tells the poignant story of Gretchen and Thomas, her dream, ill-gotten handcuffs, a diagnosis, and the adult children who must walk the fine line of parenting their parents.With the ideal recipe waiting at the New Orleans School of Cooking, Gretchen draws Thomas into her whimsical schemes. After an impromptu road trip ends with return under police escort, darkly serious issues begin bubbling up: Is Gretchens' "whimsy" declining mental faculties or worse? How much can one old heart endure? And when must elder care end and control begin?