Marriage, a new home and a new baby, Joel Thomas, all make up a perfect life for Nell Winston until suddenly her husband is no longer there and she turns into a woman possessed of compulsion to rule her son. Her strength is drawn from her unwavering sense to control until the young Joel decides to make a stand against her. Her domineering, self-absorption, along with egotistical stubbornness, takes her into a life that becomes her worst nightmare. Joel's apparently selfish show of independence leads him along an extremely rocky road to eventual success in the Swinging 60's and with a complete reversal of roles, he takes charge of his mother's life. Will the new start in a different country bring the fulfillment they are both seeking?