When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware they'll have to manage without her. Take Lisa, in her 30s but incapable of making a commitment, or Jennifer, trapped in a stale marriage and buttoned up so tight she could burst.While 20-something Amanda is the traveller, always distanced from the rest of the family. And Hannah, only a teenager, is about to be parted from the mother she adores. But by drawing on the wisdom in Barbara's letters, the girls might just find a way to cope with their loss.