Straight-laced, type-A personality Joy Miles has to take an unscheduled road trip to drive her forgetful, yet opinionated, mother-in-law, Loraine, from Louisville, Kentucky to Savannah, Georgia. Although initially impatient and frustrated, Joy begins to realize her true affection for Loraine as she takes a front-seat-view of how this strong-willed yet free-spirited woman manages the emotional transition of learning to live life after losing her spouse. Despite their many differences, and with light-hearted adventures at every turn, they discover how much they respect and even need each other.

密歇根州荷兰镇教师南希·范德格鲁特（妮可·基德曼 饰），她与担任社区领袖的丈夫弗雷德（马修·麦克费登 饰）、儿子哈里过着典型的美国田园生活。当南希与同事戴夫·德尔加多（盖尔·加西亚·贝纳尔 饰）偶然发现丈夫隐藏的秘密后，平静生活迅速崩解。