A woman finds herself confronted by her own image: who is she, and what makes her a woman? As she finds a black cherry that seduces her, she is forced to explore and to finally take full control of her own body. Her desire is aroused by an apparently insignificant fruit.
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
