A young mother mourns the death of her firstborn child, a son, three days after his birth and falls into a bout of depression.

One Mother's Day, two old women reflect on their relationships with their children--present and absent--and with the same adulterous man. When their paths cross at a crucial moment, one woman's refusal to accept the help of her husband's secret lover leads to her death.

A woman's complicated relationship to her mother is captured in three vignettes: one from directly after her death, one from when she is still alive, and one from years after she is gone.

After finding out that her toddler has cancer, a fiction writer and her husband living in the American Midwest do everything they can to save their baby, including giving up her artistic integrity in order to pay for the medical bills.

A mother reflects on her failures to improve the troubled upbringing of her first daughter, who she raised as a single parent during the Great Depression.

A new mother wakes up after giving birth to her son and upon gazing at his face, feels an ephemeral peace that only comes once in a lifetime.

A working-class mother has held only one hope for her entire life: that one day, her daughter would marry well and wealthy, and take care of her in her old age. When her daughter reveals that the man she loves is not wealthy, her mother's dreams of rest are dashed and divided.

On Mother's Day, a group of mother-less women go to a pub to enjoy each other's company. One of them is pregnant, and another is planning to adopt. A woman contemplates her pregnancy at a dinner with her friends on Mother's Day. All the women's mothers have passed away.

An overprotective mother attempts to get her teenage daughter to tell her why she is so upset. In an erratic and panicked conversation, the daughter reveals an unimaginable problem they must tackle together.

A writer reflects on his mother’s incredible strength, which he depicts in a short story. However, his mother does not approve of the piece as he had hoped, and he soon makes an important discovery.