Mona Simpson’s acclaimed novel comes to the screen in an adaptation directed by Wayne Wang. Tired of her life in a pleasant but unremarkable Midwestern city, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, Adele August packs up her belongings to move to the bright lights of Beverly Hills. But her teenage daughter Ann isn’t as excited about the move, Ann has a sense of practicality that her mother lacks, and their shift in locale puts a serious strain on their relationship, as Ann makes plans to move away for college.