Aurora in Emma sta mati in hči, ki si ne bi mogli biti bolj različni. Nekega dne se Emma odloči za poroko s povprečnim šolskim profesorjem Flapom. Aurora je prepričana, da bo Emma s tem naredila veliko napako, toda hčerka je ne posluša. Flap kmalu upraviči Aurorine dvome in se začne sestajati s svojo študentko. Medtem Emma najde tolažbo v objemu nesrečno poročenega bankirja. Življenje se vsem spremeni, ko Emma izve, da ima raka, ki je neozdravljiv. Duhovit in izredno življenjski film je dobitnik petih oskarjev.
Aurora and Emma are mother and daughter who march to different drummers. Beginning with Emma's marriage, Aurora shows how difficult and loving she can be. The movie covers several years of their lives as each finds different reasons to go on living and find joy. Aurora's interludes with Garrett Breedlove, retired astronaut and next door neighbor are quite striking. In the end, different people show their love in very different ways.
