Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot accidentally runs into a boy with her car. Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy's grandfather tells his son, Howard, about his past affairs. Meanwhile, a baker starts harassing the family when they fail to pick up the boy's birthday cake.
Andie MacDowell
as Ann Finnigan
Bruce Davison
as Howard Finnigan
Jack Lemmon
as Paul Finnigan
Tim Robbins
as Gene Shepard
Julianne Moore
as Marian Wyman
Tom Waits
as Earl Piggot
Lily Tomlin
as Doreen Piggot
Fred Ward
as Stuart Kane
Chris Penn
as Jerry Kaiser
Frances McDormand
as Betty Weathers
Madeleine Stowe
as Sherri Shepard
Jennifer Jason Leigh
as Lois Kaiser
