Giving thanks looks like a tall order this year, in light of the downward spiral Claudia Larson's life has taken. On the day she's to fly home to Baltimore for her family's annual Thanksgiving gathering, Claudia's fired from a job she loves at a Chicago art museum. Nursing her pride and a bad head cold on the way to the airport, she's informed by her 15-year old daughter, Kitt, that she plans to lose her virginity to her boyfriend while her mother's out of town. Slightly dazed by this new knowledge, coupled with her fear of flying and over all physical and emotional malaise, Claudia places an urgent call to her brother Tommy in Boston, pleading for his company and support over the holiday weekend. Over the next thirty-six hours, Claudia investigates her feelings about her simultaneously overwhelming and endearing parents, Adele and Henry; her loony Aunt Glady who is a completely uninhibited beacon of truth; and her emotionally distant sister Joanne who feels trapped by responsibility.