- Edward's mother is dying, and Dharma wants her to make peace with Kitty, who grandma has never accepted into the family. Grandma gives Dharma a Stradivarius, wanting to hear it played again.
- Just to spite Kitty, who brought the family for a dignified visit to Edward mother's deathbed, Beatrice Montgomery gives her priceless Stradivarius to Dharma, who even doubts playing a violin requires training, but joins a kids class. Greg demands Dharma should respect his family's non-demonstrative way, but she keeps encouraging 'last fun' and pressing for a reconciliation in the 'feud' since Edward married a 'mere' millionaire' daughter. When Greg finally drags Edward to 'Bea', it's too late, but she had just promised the heirloom engagement ring Kitty never got...—KGF Vissers
- Edward's mother Beatrice (Nina Foch) is dying and knows it, despite the efforts of everyone around her to deny the fact except Dharma, who argues for honesty and gets a priceless Stradivarius as a keepsake. Dharma and Beatrice quickly become good friends and order Chinese takeout together. Beatrice wants to talk about her death, her funeral and her will, but every time she tries, Edward changes the subject. Meanwhile Dharma wants to talk to Beatrice about her coffin.
This is much to the horror of Kitty who believes that the heirloom belongs in a museum -- especially after everyone has heard Dharma trying to learn "Three Blind Mice" on the instrument. Beatrice says that she wants to die knowing that someone is playing the damn thing. Beatrice says that Kitty is just puckered at both ends.
Greg suggests that Dharma gets some lessons in how to play the violin, offending her and Abby & Larry. Abby says that nobody needs lessons to express their inner music.
Dharma enlists in a class and her teacher is dumbfounded to see a novice like her owning a Stradivarius. The teacher is also horrified to see the horrendous tunes that Dharma produces from the heavenly instrument.
Kitty tries to convince Dharma to donate the instrument to the museum where it belongs. Then Dharma learns something very surprising: Edward and Kitty's marriage was a whirlwind courtship bitterly opposed by Beatrice, who has never forgiven her "free-thinking" daughter-in-law. Dharma tries to point out the irony of how the stories are similar to how Kitty treats Dharma, but Kitty is oblivious to it. Beatrice refuses to pass on the family heirloom engagement ring to her.
Dharma tries to help mend fences before it's too late. She encourages Kitty to reach out to Beatrice, but Beatrice only ends up scaring Kitty by pretending to be dead and then "awaking" very suddenly. Greg is livid and tells Dharma that his family has their own way of dealing with these situations, by avoiding talking about them. Greg asks Dharma to stay out of it.
Dharma tells Beatrice what she did was wrong and wants her to give the ring to Kitty. Beatrice says that Kitty only married Edward for his money, but Dharma defends Kitty. Edward tells Greg that his mother knows exactly what Edward thinks about her and nothing good can come from everyone going on blubbering about feelings. Greg takes Edward to see Beatrice, but by the time they reach, she had passed away.
Dharma then tries to respect Beatrice's dying wish to pass on the ring when it is much, much too late. Beatrice dies before she can give the ring to Kitty and Dharma pries it off her coffin before she is buried. Kitty wants to give the ring to Dharma, but Dharma wants Kitty to have it. Dharma plays the Stradivarius as Beatrice's last dying wish at her funeral.
In a coda, Greg is more than happy to let Dharma's violin teacher borrow the Stradivarius for a recital, then learns Dharma has taken up the trombone instead.
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