The Odoms of Charleston, South Carolina have lived a life of the traditions of the American South in their longtime, large-family beachfront home. That tradition is turned upside down when younger daughter, bright high school senior Lucille, arrives home to find a note from her mother Helen that states that she has left for good. This move has been a long time coming for her although the actual act was somewhat spontaneous based on evidence around the family home. The patriarch, retired Warren, believes his wife will eventually return. To help with the situation, Warren and Lucille request the return of Warren's eldest daughter/Lucille's older sister Rae, but she arrives with her new Yankee husband Billy McQueen and news that they married because she's pregnant--and she doesn't seem happy about it. These goings-on affect impressionable Lucille the most as she's trying to find her own way in life and love. But as the adult family members deal with their immediate situations--such as Warren mulling a new relationship with hairdresser Vera Delmage--Lucille searches for understanding of her past and future.