Maggie (Cameron Diaz) and Rose Feller (Toni Collette) are very different sisters, raised by their father Michael (Ken Howard) and stepmother Sydelle (Candice Azzara) after their mother Caroline died in a car accident. Rose is the elder; an ostensibly plain and serious lawyer who is protective of Maggie despite her flaws. Maggie is a free spirit who is unable to hold a steady job (partly due to her dyslexia) and turns to alcohol and men for emotional and financial support. After Sydelle throws Maggie out, Rose grudgingly allows Maggie to move in with her in her Rittenhouse Square apartment in Philadelphia. Maggie struggles to find a job and soon causes problems for Rose, including getting her car towed. Their already difficult relationship turns worse when Rose catches Maggie in bed with Jim (Richard Burgi), a man Rose has been dating. A heartbroken and furious Rose throws Maggie out.