Fran, twenty-five-years old, hasn’t been home in six years. But when an old childhood friend, Emily, calls out of the blue, Fran takes the train to Burning Well, the sleepy town where they grew up.
Back in Burning Well, we discover Fran had left home as a daughter, worried about parental disapproval and fleeing small-town constraints. Returning as a son, Fran learns their mother, a Filipino immigrant nurse, is dying. Their father has decamped to the basement, and their teen sister is punchy with anger and grief. But things with Emily are surprisingly easy. The two friends are falling in love.
As the family slowly accepts new realities, Fran recognizes a similar longing for a sense of self in their mother. This leads the family on one final trip to the Philippines.