Female empowerment is celebrated in this bitty but beautifully performed period drama. Rushing its way through the early 1900s, it follows three generations of North Carolina women as they defy the era's traditional gender roles and also build their own support systems. Gena Rowlands is particularly fine as the headstrong matriarch constantly encouraging her daughter Mimi Rogers and granddaughter Susan May Pratt to feed their intellects and pursue their dreams. With their complementary characters, the trio has real chemistry together, bringing cohesion to the episodic, book-based material. So while the decades-jumping narrative tries to cover too much ground, it's the subtle poignancy of the family's interactions and rituals that keeps events engaging.

The story of three women who live in a North Carolina town and defy the traditional roles set forth for them by society.