California, in 1979 Santa Barbara, Dorothea Fields is a determined single mother inside her mid-50s whois raising her teenage son, Jamie, at a moment teeming with rebellion and cultural change. Dorothea together with the assistance of two women that are younger -- Abbie, a punk artist living as a boarder from the Fields' dwelling and Julie, a knowledgeable and provocative neighbour -- to help with Jamie's upbringing.