California, 1970s. A man who lost his wife in childbirth is raising his two daughters, Anna and Claire, and tending his farm with the help of a young man, Coop, who he has more or less adopted. When the older Anna and Coop fall into a sexual relationship and are discovered, the man becomes violent and Anna and Coop flee forever. The force of this event on how these three individuals lead the rest of their lives is the tripartite tale followed over the course of the next several years.