Set during the late '70s, Fannie Flagg's novel follows the career of Dena Nordstrom, a tall, blonde, corn-fed girl who makes it big in Manhattan when, as a top TV anchorwoman, she makes ungodly amounts of money and to everyone in the industry and outside she has it made. However, Dena is beset by private devils of her own and finally consults a psychiatrist, who helps her face her traumatic feelings about her mysterious, emotionally distant mother and her nomadic childhood. Finally unlocking the secret of her racial heritage, Dena decides to give up her life in New York for the slower pace and friendly atmosphere of her hometown of Elmwood Springs, Missouri.