Four intersecting tales shed light on the difficult lives of suburbanites. Esther (Glenn Close) nurses her comatose son (Joshua Jackson) while ignoring the rest of the family, and workaholic attorney Jim (Dermot Mulroney) overlooks his wife (Moira Kelly), losing control when he doesn't get an expected promotion. Meanwhile, Annette (Patricia Clarkson) and her family struggle to survive her divorce, and Helen (Mary Kay Place) seeks excitement.