Plastic surgeon Dr. Sydney Hansen abandons her unfulfilling career and lifestyle in Los Angeles to return to her hometown of Providence as her family recovers from the sudden death of her mother Lynda. Sydney tries to hold her family together which includes her veterinarian father Jim, who relates better to his animal patients than to his children; her younger sister Joanie, an unwed mother who divides her time between her newborn daughter and assisting Jim in his basement office; and Robbie, her scheming baby-brother. Sydney finds solace and fulfillment working in a low-income medical clinic, but her dreams are frequently interrupted by the presence of her mother, who provides advice from the afterlife perspective.