The interwoven stories of four suburban families who are struggling to crawl out from the isolating safety of objects. Once a promising teenaged singer-songwriter, Paul Gold lies in his bedroom in a coma, nursed by his mother, Esther, who in her caregiver role, has unintentionally distanced herself from her husband and her teenage daughter, Julie. Jim Train is a lawyer who has more intimacy with his work than with his wife Susan; in response she chooses to settle into their new life without him. Their son Jake is finding it hard to conceal his burgeoning fantasy relationship with his sister's doll, Tani, the twelve-inch girl he adores. Annette Jennings, once Paul's lover, is in the midst of a messy divorce and is trying to keep herself together while raising her children, Sam and Rayanne, on a shoestring. Helen Christianson, bored by her husband and the banalities of everyday life, looks for something or someone new to inspire her.