Carrie Watts lives the twilight of her life trapped in an apartment in 1940s Houston, Texas with a controlling daughter-in-law and a hen-pecked son. Her fondest wish is revisit, just once before she dies, Bountiful, the small Texas town of her youth which she still refers to as "home." The trouble is that her son Ludie is too concerned for her health to let her travel alone, and her petty daughter-in-law Jessie Mae insists that they don't have money to squander on bus tickets. This prompts "escape" attempts every month that coincide with the arrival of Mrs. Watts' Social Security check. Mrs. Watts finally makes a successful escape and a last trip home.