Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) arguably peaked in high school. During her teen years, she was a prime member of the ‘popular crowd’ and someone who theoretically would go on to great things after leaving her small town Minnesota birthplace. But nearly twenty years later, life has not been kind to Ms. Gary. While she still has her looks, her employment as a ghost writer for a popular young-adult series is about to end and she remains unattached following the dissolution of her first marriage. After receiving a mass email from her high school flame announcing the birth of his first child, Mavis convinces herself that Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) needs to be saved from his small town suburban existence and drives back home to ‘win him back’.
