Linda is a forty-year-old unmarried high school English teacher in a small town. She shares a small apartment with two cats and her rich collection of great literature. She maintains no close personal relationships aside from those she has with her favorite authors. Her life is far less complicated than the dramas she devours on the page, and she likes it that way. But Linda's simple life changes when former star pupil Jason returns to town after failing as a playwright in New York. Pressured by his overbearing father, Jason may be forced to give up his dreams and go to law school. Unwilling to let that happen, Linda mounts his play at her school with flamboyant drama teacher Carl directing, and puts her own reputation and teaching career on the line