"Loggerheads" interweaves three separate but related stories that take place in different parts of North Carolina. On Mother's Day 1999, Mark, a young drifter with an interest in endangered loggerhead turtles, begins a relationship with motel handyman George. On Mother's Day 2000, Mark's adoptive mother Elizabeth wonders what has become of her estranged son. On Mother's Day 2001, Mark's birth mother Grace quits her job to begin a search for the child she gave up years before-a search that ultimately brings the stories together.