Just-out-of-jail Percy Talbott (Alison Elliott) lands in idyllic Gilead, Maine, and with the local sheriff's help, she finds employment and a place to stay at the Spitfire Grill. Percy develops a kinship with crotchety owner Hannah (Ellen Burstyn) and co-worker Shelby (Marcia Gay Harden). But Shelby's spouse (Will Patton) remains wary of the former felon's motives -- especially after she devises a plan to help the aging proprietor sell her café.