塞莱斯特(莎莉·菲尔德 Sally Field饰)是一名女演员,正在参演一部名叫《太阳又西沉》的电视剧。和她一起参演的还有年轻漂亮的洛丽(伊丽莎白·苏 Elisabeth Shue 饰)和充满了心机一心想要取代塞莱斯特的蒙塔纳(凯西·莫拉蒂 Cathy Moriarty 饰)。为了为难塞莱斯特,蒙塔纳撺掇制片人戴维(小罗伯特·唐尼 Robert Downey Jr. 饰)请来了塞莱斯特的旧情人杰弗里(凯文·克莱恩 Kevin Kline 饰),哪知道花心的杰弗里竟然一下子就喜欢上了洛丽。 让大家没有想到的是,洛丽的真实身份竟然是塞莱斯特和杰弗里的私生女,在电视剧大结局即将上演之际,每个人都暴露出了他们的秘密。
At Christine's funeral, her foster son suddenly shows up, a grown-up man with whom the family has been out of contact for quite some time. He brought a letter, stating that Christine wants to be buried in Wentelen, to the bewilderment of her biological children, and even more so to that of her husband. In addition to that, all the relatives are surprised that the foster son of Christine apparently maintained a correspondence with Christine. Nevertheless, Christine's last wish is respected, and they decided to bury her in Wentelen, and wish to do so traditionally, meaning walking behind the hearse. During a walk of several days, all the relatives (foster sisters, foster father, alleged friends and real ones, the foster son, lovers) have enough time to get to know each other better. Because in the end they have no other conclusion than that nobody really knew anyone. Old intrigues are dug up, the foster sisters finally learn why the foster brother just disappeared from the family, and they can begin to develop a real image of the mother. Once Christine's final resting place is reached and she is buried, all family ties, good and bad, are shaken around.