In a modest house in suburban America, Paul Gold (Joshua Jackson) lies ill in his bedroom, nursed by his mother, Esther (Glenn Close). A stone's throw away, Annette Jennings (Patricia Clarkson), is in the midst of a messy divorce. Meanwhile, after years dedicated to his job, Jim Train (Dermot Mulroney), begins to realise that his family functions just fine without him. Helen Christianson (Mary Kay Place) is bored by her husband and the banalities of her life. Also, tending to the yard work in the neighbourhood is Randy (Timothy Olyphant), friendly and outgoing on the surface, but harbouring dark secrets that will soon come boiling to the surface...