Ella is unhappy. She has lost a husband years ago and is not satisfied with her present life. She has a son from her first marriage, Brian, and for years she unconsciously hoped he would replace her deceased companion. Brian always tried to please his mother and to be as much like her idealized memories of his father as he could. It was a mother-son relationship on the verge of incest. But for unknown reasons, Brian and Ella are no longer in speaking terms, even though they meet at the dinner parties she offers once a year. This year’s dinner party is special because it reveals surprising details about the mother-son relationship. The dinner table argument is followed by a series of incidents that prove to be a strange yearly routine.