A son tells a series of stories, most of them about his father and stepfather. As the son describes a robbery that took place at his house in high school and his experiences with his father, a former Jehovah's Witness and current alcoholic, he begins to recall details from his childhood.

Though numerous social workers try to step in, a co-dependent mother and son bounce from city to city, in search of a place where they can be together at all times.

In an attempt to impress his emotionally distant father, a boy ridicules his mother, who has loved him unconditionally even in his father's absence. Wracked with guilt, he yearns for her forgiveness - only to find that she does not hold it against him.

An afternoon at the park takes an unexpected turn for a mother and her son as the well-established families that they admire turn out to be unhappy people who secretly enjoy the misery of others. As the day progresses, the mother is surprised to learn that she and her son share many negative qualities with those families.

A recently divorced couple struggle with their three-year-old son's erratic behavior in the wake of their divorce.

In a 20th century American town, a young man spies on a decisive duel between his neighbor and her son.

After unannounced absences, lies, and a switched kitchen appliance, a woman in 1950's New York discovers the truth about her boyfriend and the life he is hiding.

A blissfully naïve young couple hopes to avoid the fate of the husband's unhappy parents, but as his jealous mother, children, and resentments come between them, the young couple falls into the same pitfalls.

After being left behind by her husband and two sons due to her alleged "boringness," a woman must learn how to cope with her new life.

A woman with a troubled, cruel son pays careful attention when a mother across the street murders her children, feeling eerily connected to the mother and her motives.