The furthest Debbie wanders from home is to her mailbox on a good day. A widow and an agoraphobic, she works as a realty agent from her Brooklyn home where she shares her fears, hopes and dreams with her two employee-girlfriends, Patricia and Katherine, who are redefining the limits of middle age. Pushing those limits herself, Debbie complains her estranged her daughter, Wendy, hasn’t been home in a very long time.
In the office, Patricia is a rambunctious single mother who, on occasion, antagonizes Katherine, whose sexual naiveté and psychic prowess provides some comic relief. Through their bickering and the occasional theatrical outburst we get to know their dreams and insecurities, and root for them on their journey of self-discovery.
Wendy, the young daughter with a chip on her shoulder, comes to town to play the cello at Carnegie Hall with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. She confronts her mother for never attending her high school recitals and hopes to free herself from the lingering anger she harbors for the years of her mother’s neglect. Wendy confesses a volatile secret to her mother that exacerbates their relationship and forces Debbie to confront her phobia head on.
Facing her fears, Debbie joins Patricia on a routine house showing for the realty business, believing this excursion will prepare her for the trip to Carnegie Hall. But on the test-run Debbie is not quite up to the task and her condition gets the better of her and makes Pat’s day a very difficult one indeed.
When the time comes to go to Carnegie Hall, Debbie is escorted by Kate who provides a needed diversion and a story that grabs Debbie’s heart strings and allows her to find the strength and courage to not only to face her demons but to rediscover the loving relationship she so desperately wants with Wendy.
We find joy in Patricia and Katherine exploits. Katherine delights in her first sensual feelings in over 20 years with a secret admirer who never stops delivering flowers. Pat manages to connect emotionally with a lost lover who must come to terms with his own inequities and see through Pat’s feisty façade in order to reunite with her and embrace a son he never knew.
These three ladies struggle through their growing pains at an age when most people spend their time reminiscing about life and missed opportunities. And with Wendy in the mix, this eclectic ensemble allow us to laugh and cry while making us believe we are never too old to dream and never too young to forgive.