| Director | Stephen Cone |
|---|---|
| Budget | $181,972 |
Cyd Loughlin, a headstrong 16-year-old, is sent away from her home in Columbia, South Carolina, to spend the summer in Chicago with her estranged aunt Miranda, a kindhearted author of religious fiction. Despite the initial awkwardness, the two gradually grow close. As the summer progresses, they become acquainted with each other over various activities, including going out for meals, walks around the neighborhood, and sunbathing. Both women become more like the other, with Cyd becoming more cultured and Miranda more easygoing. Cyd's mother (Miranda's sister) died when she was young, and the two discuss whether she is waiting for them in Heaven.
Despite having a boyfriend back home, Cyd explores her sexuality, developing a romance with a local barista named Katie, as well as a neighborhood boy. Miranda and her colleague Anthony have romantic feelings for one another, but neither are willing to make the first move. Cyd privately suggests to both of them that they should ask the other one on a date.
One night, Miranda hosts a large gathering of friends and creatives, where Cyd opts to wear a tuxedo instead of something more feminine. After the party, Cyd unwittingly insults Miranda's lack of a sex life, which causes brief friction between the two. Miranda sternly but kindly explains that she derives pleasure from activities other than sex, such as reading and going to church, before declaring that "it is not a handicap to have one thing, but not another", and that mutual respect is a key factor in any healthy relationship.
That same evening, Katie texts Cyd for help after nearly being sexually assaulted by her brother's roommate. Cyd and Miranda come to her rescue, and Katie comes to stay with them for the remainder of the summer. After a day at the beach, Cyd and Katie have sex. Cyd shares that when she was a child, her older brother murdered their mother and then took his own life, and that living with her grief-stricken father has not been easy.
Cyd discovers that she was named after the lead character in one of Miranda's earliest books, Princess Cydney, which Miranda dedicated to her sister.
As the summer ends, Cyd and Katie promise to visit each other, and attend an event for Miranda's new book. After one last block party, Cyd returns to Columbia. Some time later, Cyd receives a call from Miranda, and the two affirm their love for one another.