The Nearing family's loss of its female leader. Rose, wife to Shep (Morse) and mom to Henry and Blair (David Moscow), died six months before. The time is the late '70s, when lifestyles and sexuality were undergoing tremendous change in American society. Rose's death removes the anchor to this suburban New Jersey family, letting each member drift into those swift-moving social currents.

Dad quits his teaching job, grows his hair long, rides his bike around town and drinks himself senseless most nights. Blair splits, taking off with a hippie girlfriend in search of acid and experiences, some of which he might even remember. Henry changes the least outwardly; but inside, his life is in free-fall.