The film follows multiple loosely related narratives, each pertaining to the three Jordan sisters and those within their sphere of influence. Trish Maplewood, the eldest Jordan sister, is a
housewife who lives an
upper middle class life. She is married to
psychiatrist Bill Maplewood and has three children. Trish is unaware of Bill's secret life as a pedophile who is obsessed with 11-year-old Johnny Grasso, a classmate of their son, Billy. When Johnny comes to the Jordan house for a sleepover, Bill drugs and
rapes him. Later, Bill learns that another boy, Ronald Farber, is home alone while his parents are away in
Europe. Under the guise of attending a
PTA meeting, Bill drives to the boy's house and rapes him as well. After Johnny is taken to the hospital and found to have been
sexually abused, the police arrive at the Maplewood residence to question Bill and his wife. Bill mistakenly asks the officers if this is about Ronald Farber, even though the police only mentioned Johnny's name when they arrived, inadvertently implicating himself in an as-yet unknown crime. The next morning the family awakens to the words "serial rapist" and "pervert" spray painted on their house. After school, Billy questions his dad about the things being said at school, and Bill admits that he raped the boys, that he enjoyed it, and that he would do it again. When Billy asks if he would ever rape him, his father tearfully replies, "No. I'd jerk off instead." Trish packs her family into the car the next morning, leaving for her parents' condo in Florida. Helen Jordan, the middle sister, is a successful author who is adored and envied by everyone she knows. However, her charmed life leaves her ultimately unfulfilled, she despairs that no one wants her for herself, and that the praise regularly heaped upon her is undeserved. She is fascinated by an unknown man who makes obscene phone calls to her apartment and tries to seek out a relationship with him. The man, her neighbor Allen, routinely makes obscene phone calls threatening to sexually assault women for his own gratification, but proves unable to actually touch Helen when given the opportunity to make good on his promises. Allen, who is coincidentally one of Bill's patients, begins a friendship with Kristina, who lives in the same apartment block down the hall. While on a date, Kristina tells him that she killed the apartment doorman after he raped her. Joy, the youngest sister, is overly sensitive, having been repeatedly criticized by her overbearing sisters, and lacking direction. She tearfully breaks up with her boyfriend and coworker, Andy, who reveals and keeps a custom gift he had made for her, calling her shallow. A few days later, he kills himself, and Joy quits her telephone sales job and leaves to do something more fulfilling. She gets hired as a
scab worker, teaching at an immigrant-education center. Her students do not like her, and she begins to feel empty in that job as well. Helen tries to set her up with other men. Expecting to hear from a suitor, she instead gets an obscene call from Allen. Later, one of her
Russian students, Vlad, offers her a ride in his taxi, and they end up having sex. She is initially smitten, but she soon realizes Vlad was using her and that he may be married. After being attacked by someone she thinks is his wife at the school, she goes to his apartment to make amends. There she discovers the woman is not his wife after all, even though they live together. In Vlad's apartment, Joy sees her missing guitar and CD player. Vlad coerces her into lending him $500 in exchange for her stolen belongings, and Joy quits her job. Finally, the sisters' parents, Mona and Lenny, are separating after 40 years of marriage, but will not get divorced. Lenny is bored with his marriage, but does not want to start another relationship; he simply "wants to be alone." As Mona copes with being single during her twilight years, Lenny tries to rekindle his enthusiasm for life by having an affair with a neighbor. It is no use, however, as Lenny eventually finds that he has become
incapable of feeling. In the final scene, the Jordan family is united in Mona and Lenny's condo. Helen resolves to set Joy up with Allen, and is finally inspired to write a new piece after hearing about Kristina's killing of the doorman. Trish does not acknowledge Bill's actions, still acting as if everything is normal. Mona and Lenny trade barbs from across the table. Billy achieves an
orgasm for the first time on the balcony while looking at a woman sunbathing. Due to his father's grooming, he proudly declares this to his family. ==Cast==