Paltrow vividly portrays the emotional distress a daughter in her position would encounter. She deals with resentment and bitterness towards her sister who chose not to make the same sacrifices. The relationship becomes more strained when her sister tries to force her to move back to New York where she can be taken care of. Paltrow gave up the first part of her life to take care of her father and now her sister is asking her to give up the rest of her life.

On top of these issues Paltrow finds herself fighting the spectre that she is vulnerable to the same illness her father had. She discovers in herself the same brilliance that her father had with mathematics but is unwilling to admit it. She is afraid that by admitting it she will become like her father or be patronized by others who suspect she is becoming like her father. Even her sister reveals that her motive for moving Paltrow to New York is to take care of her when her illness becomes too dibilitating.

The movie is strong and touching and prompts us to look inside ourselves and see what fears we have that are keeping us from living our lives.