Synopsis

Jenny Farrell, the much loved eldest daughter of Eddie and Rose has led an openly gay life with everyone except her closely- knit, very conventional, middle-class family. Even her siblings, Michael and Anne have been left in the dark. Keeping herself hidden from her parents required holding the truth back back from both her brother and sister and as result, although they love each other, the Farrells don’t really know each other. Jenny has kept her secret out of compassion for her parents, knowing they are happiest living in a small, safe and familiar world where they follow the rules rather than invent them. They don’t want to stand out in a crowd, they want to be part of it. The moment of truth arrives after a conversation with her father about why people marry. Realizing she is missing out on having a full life, she decides to marry Kitty, a woman they thought was her roommate. The truth lands like a depth charge. Her parents are shocked to find out how little they know their daughter and fear becoming the object of gossip in their small, very conventional community. They ask Jenny not to tell anyone else. From that point on, lie leads to lie, misunderstanding leads to misunderstanding, and long-standing grudges which have nothing to do with Jenny’s gay life are revealed. Rose and Eddie’s long marriage is tested, sibling rivalry boils over and when Jenny finally confronts her parents’ cowardice in public, the rupture between them is irreparable. Left floundering in a web of hypocrisy, cowardice and lies of their own creation and heartbroken over losing their daughter, Eddie and Rose are finally forced to confront themselves and either find the personal courage to push past their own limitations or lose their self respect and what they love most – their family.

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