In Tupelo, Mississippi in 1964, three women struggle for independence. Paige Dunn, paralyzed from the neck down by the effects of polio, is determined to raise her daughter, Diana, alone. Diana, at 14, longs to be free of the responsibility of caring for her mother, while their fiercely protective black caregiver, Peacie, fears for the safety of her boyfriend who is risking his life in the civil rights movement.