The film begins with Benjamin Button's birth in New Orleans in 1918. His mother dies in Childbirth and his father, upon seeing Benjamin's face, runs away from the house in horror with the baby in his arms. He leaves the newborn on the stairs of a nursing home run by Queenie. The doctors believe Benjamin's time on earth will be short but Benjamin proves that everyone is wrong. Under Queenie's care, he progresses from the size of a newborn into a man who looks to be in his 80s. Benjamin meets Daisy. Daisy is an intelligent girl who falls in love with Benjamin, despite their differences on age. With Daisy, Benjamin can play and act like a child. As Benjamin grows he begins to long for a life outside the nursing home. Benjamin signs on to a tugboat and discovers much about the world. Still, Daisy's always on his mind. They reconnect again at a point in their lives where his body is physically close in age to hers. Their love has endured for years, but as Benjamin continues his backwards journey through life, he remains firm in the belief that nothing lasts forever. They return home and see that Queenie has died, then move in together. In 1967, Daisy, who has opened a ballet studio, tells Benjamin that she is pregnant; she gives birth to a girl. Believing he cannot be a father, Benjamin leaves. Benjamin returns to Daisy, now married. Daisy introduces him, as a family friend, to her husband and daughter. Daisy admits that he was right to leave. She later visits Benjamin at his hotel In 1990, widowed Daisy is contacted by social workers who have found Benjaminnow physically a pre-teen. When she arrives, they explain that he was living in a condemned building and was taken to the hospital in poor physical condition. Daisy moves into the nursing home and cares for Benjamin for the rest of his life. Benjamin dies in Daisy's arms. Daisy dies.