In 1970s America, a teenage girl observes her parents and the members of their synagogue's Torah study group as they gather each Sunday to play poker. One day, she catches the rabbi bluffing.

Faced with cancer, Mrs. Wilson confronts her impending death. She finds new strength fight her prognosis with a book, The Will to Live, by the philosopher Schopenhauer.

Using the pension from their beloved father, three German sisters stay at a boarding house in France and pretend to be wealthy ladies. The trio spot a handsome Englishman, and the eldest girl delicately crafts a story to prevent him from discovering their impoverished upbringing.