As the first scene unfolds we see women apparently working in a travel office, giving information to those who call. But as the camera pulls back, and we see bars, we realize it is a prison, and the inmates are unusual employees of the state of Maine.
Set in Gilead, Maine, Percy Talbot (Alison Elliot) is being released from 5 years behind bars and travels here to pick up her life, and in the process helps heal a small town. Originally from Ohio, nothing has gone good for her yet. Now, in town, the local sheriff forgot that he was supposed to see about her. But nice older owner of the Spitfire Grill, Hannah (Ellen Burstyn), takes Percy in and puts her to work. In this very small town everyone is curious about Percy, but none as much as Hannah's nephew, Nahum (Will Patton), who has taken it upon himself to watch out for Hannah. He simply does not trust Percy, even though she is a model employee. Marcia Gay Harden is good as Nahum's simpleton wife, Shelby.
Hannah unwisely uses a chair at home above the grill to get something high and falls, breaking her leg. Percy and Shelby share duties to keep the grill running somewhat smoothly. But Hannah decides she needs to get rid of the business and Nahum has not been successful selling it for her. Percy had once heard about someone holding a contest, told Shelby about it, who suggested it to Hannah, and off they were, to the consternation of Nahum. The inmate friends of Shelby got the notice in newspapers all over the USA, and entries rolled in, with $100 bills included for the entry fee.
The contest was successful beyond their dreams, pulling in so many entries that all the townspeople had to pitch in, reading essays and helping pick the winner. But Nahum became very nervous about all the money, still not trusting Percy.
MAJOR SPOILERS. To be on the safe side, Nahum sneaked into Hannah's place at night to get the money and put it in a cloth sack to carry it to a safe place. However, Percy came in at that time to gather the food items for Hannah to put out each night for the mysterious man that she came to call "Johnny Bee" (from Johnny Be Good), used the sack not knowing money was in it, and put it out at the usual place near the wood pile. The next day when it was discovered that all the money was gone Nahum could have done the right thing but played dumb instead, everyone was chasing Percy, who was looking for "Johnny Bee", spooked by all the cops and dogs. Percy was trying to cross the river to get to him when she was swept away and over some rapids and drowned. At her funeral Nahum admitted his role, and took responsibility for Percy's death.
MORE SPOILERS. "Johnny Bee" turned out to be Hannah's long lost son, who was never the same after the war. Police found the money at his campsite in the woods, he had begun to use some of it to make artistic designs. In the end he came back to be with his mother, having been shown some hope by his interactions with Percy. We learn that Percy had been sexually abused from the age of 9 by her step-dad, who impregnated her when she was 16. He also caused the death of her unborn baby, and she killed him because of the abuse, but still got 5 years' prison time.
The movie ends as we see another new face in town, a 20-something young lady with a small son, the winner of the essay contest and new owner of the Spitfire Grill, so named for the WW2 fighter plane that Hannah's husband had been fond of. We hear her essay in a voice over, her wanting to make a new start for her young son.
Set in Gilead, Maine, Percy Talbot (Alison Elliot) is being released from 5 years behind bars and travels here to pick up her life, and in the process helps heal a small town. Originally from Ohio, nothing has gone good for her yet. Now, in town, the local sheriff forgot that he was supposed to see about her. But nice older owner of the Spitfire Grill, Hannah (Ellen Burstyn), takes Percy in and puts her to work. In this very small town everyone is curious about Percy, but none as much as Hannah's nephew, Nahum (Will Patton), who has taken it upon himself to watch out for Hannah. He simply does not trust Percy, even though she is a model employee. Marcia Gay Harden is good as Nahum's simpleton wife, Shelby.
Hannah unwisely uses a chair at home above the grill to get something high and falls, breaking her leg. Percy and Shelby share duties to keep the grill running somewhat smoothly. But Hannah decides she needs to get rid of the business and Nahum has not been successful selling it for her. Percy had once heard about someone holding a contest, told Shelby about it, who suggested it to Hannah, and off they were, to the consternation of Nahum. The inmate friends of Shelby got the notice in newspapers all over the USA, and entries rolled in, with $100 bills included for the entry fee.
The contest was successful beyond their dreams, pulling in so many entries that all the townspeople had to pitch in, reading essays and helping pick the winner. But Nahum became very nervous about all the money, still not trusting Percy.
MAJOR SPOILERS. To be on the safe side, Nahum sneaked into Hannah's place at night to get the money and put it in a cloth sack to carry it to a safe place. However, Percy came in at that time to gather the food items for Hannah to put out each night for the mysterious man that she came to call "Johnny Bee" (from Johnny Be Good), used the sack not knowing money was in it, and put it out at the usual place near the wood pile. The next day when it was discovered that all the money was gone Nahum could have done the right thing but played dumb instead, everyone was chasing Percy, who was looking for "Johnny Bee", spooked by all the cops and dogs. Percy was trying to cross the river to get to him when she was swept away and over some rapids and drowned. At her funeral Nahum admitted his role, and took responsibility for Percy's death.
MORE SPOILERS. "Johnny Bee" turned out to be Hannah's long lost son, who was never the same after the war. Police found the money at his campsite in the woods, he had begun to use some of it to make artistic designs. In the end he came back to be with his mother, having been shown some hope by his interactions with Percy. We learn that Percy had been sexually abused from the age of 9 by her step-dad, who impregnated her when she was 16. He also caused the death of her unborn baby, and she killed him because of the abuse, but still got 5 years' prison time.
The movie ends as we see another new face in town, a 20-something young lady with a small son, the winner of the essay contest and new owner of the Spitfire Grill, so named for the WW2 fighter plane that Hannah's husband had been fond of. We hear her essay in a voice over, her wanting to make a new start for her young son.