Set in the deep American south, Claude Montgomery (Thornton) and his wife, Ruby (Dern), head back to their roots in Little Rock, Arkansas, to reunite with their family and lend support to their Uncle Hazel (Varney) who has been arrested for attempted murder. Here they meet with Ruby's eccentric mother Jewel (Ladd), her sultry sister Rose (Preston) and other members of their outrageous family in an amusing yet poignant story of family feuds mixed with sweeter emotions.