Isabelle and Amy Goodman are a mother and daughter that are currently living in the small mill town of Shirley Falls. The two are frequently at odds, something that is partially because Isabelle keeps everyone at a distance, which strains her relationship with her daughter. When her daughter meets Peter Robertson, a substitute math teacher at her school, she quickly falls for him – something that Peter is all too willing to exploit for his own purposes. Eventually this relationship becomes public, setting off public gossip and causing a fight between Amy and Isabelle that almost completely shatters their bonds.