On a warm winter’s day in 1940, the Cardinal family heads out of New York City for a picnic in the country. Father Jack is a celebrated, though impoverished, author. His 12-year-old daughter, Lou, aspires to be a writer too someday. Seven-year-old Oz is shy and sensitive by comparison. Mother Amanda is looking forward to some time away with the family to stave off a feeling of foreboding about their upcoming move to California.

On the drive back home that evening, Amanda and Jack begin to argue about their move. Jack has been offered a large sum of money to write screenplays for Hollywood. Amanda insists he won’t be happy and suggests they all move to his grandmother’s home in the mountains of Virginia. As the argument escalates, Jack swerves to avoid hitting a stranded motorist standing by the side of the road. The family’s car skids and rolls down a hill, killing Jack and leaving Amanda catatonic. 

At Jack’s funeral in New York, Lou overhears the estate executors speculating about what to do with the children. Amanda is completely incapacitated, so they must find a guardian. Lou suggests that they should go to live with their great-grandmother in Virginia.