Elaine Risley is an artist whose work is somewhat controversial. She is invited back to her childhood home of Toronto for a retrospective exhibition of her paintings which prompts her to think about her childhood. She remembers her two close friends, Grace and Carol and realizes that to them she must have seemed a little different, what with her father's almost constant traveling and her mother's unconventional approach to life in general. She doesn't really know how to present herself to others but despite this social awkwardness she is welcomed into the group and even rather admired by the other girls. She hasn't really changed much now that she is an adult; she is still unconventional.
Elaine is slightly disquieted by the addition of a new girl into their group when she comes back to school after four months of traveling with her parents. Cordelia seems nice at first but she changes the way in which Carol and Grace treat Elaine. They bully her terribly but as she does not recognize traditional friendship cues she does not at the time realize that they are doing it. She never stands up to them and by the time she realizes that her so-called best friends are also her biggest tormentors, she is miserable and defeated.
Things just get worse. Elaine's hat is thrown into a ravine by one of the girls, who leave as she is trying to retrieve it. Elaine is about to panic but she sees a vision of the Virgin Mary whom she has only just learned about, having accompanied Grace and her family to church for the very first time. Her vision guides her up the ravine to safety but this is also an epiphany for Elaine in more than a spiritual way; she finally sees her "friends" for who they are and is able to make the break from them.
In high school, with new friends, Elaine re-connects with Cordelia. It seems that the tables have turned in their relationship as Elaine is now much tougher than she was and has developed a thicker skin, whereas Cordelia is suffering from low self esteem. Elaine starts to tease her a little bit but feels a mixture of guilt and satisfaction when it becomes clear that Cordelia is not coping well with her emotions and begins to act out. She has outgrown Cordelia and is no longer affected by the memories of the way in which she was bullied.
Fast forward to college, and in between her studies Elaine is working part-time in a diner. She runs into Cordelia again, who has found her way out of her depression and seems to have reacquainted herself with the bully she used to be. She has become an actress and decided not to attend college. She brags about her performances and invites Elaine to come to a performance at the local Shakespeare Festival. The uptick in her life is short lived, though. A couple more years later, she has experienced a sort of mental and emotional breakdown. She has been committed to a mental hospital but wants Elaine to help her escape. Elaine refuses but later learns that Cordelia has escaped anyway without her help.
As an art student, Elaine's work is dubbed feminist, although she never positions herself that way. She still has trouble making friends with women but after returning to Toronto manages to make peace with her past and her childhood.
