 Mary Elizabeth, an outgoing white girl, and Rene, a shy black girl, become close friends as they grow up in 1960 s Alabama. Their friendship comes to an end, however, when Mary Elizabeth (ME) gets pregnant and Rene doesn t support her decision to keep the child and marry her boyfriend. Thirty years later, ME is still living in Alabama with her husband as they struggle to make ends meet. Rene, meanwhile is a successful attorney working in Washington. After the death of her father, Rene decides to move back to her old hometown, where she meets ME again. As the pair resume their old friendship, they reminisce on old times and the events that occurred after splitting up.