The farm house near Chautauqua Lake is where theater director Will Bartlett and his family spend their summers. But the summer of 1971 is different. Will's entire troupe of actors is also descending on the house, for a month-long, round-the-clock rehearsal of Of Mice and Men. For Will, this is a great communal experiment, an artistic adrenaline rush. For his wife Myra, it's an overflowing sink, an organizational nightmare-and, maybe, a chance to resurrect her abandoned stage career. For their 16-year-old daughter, it's the opportunity of a lifetime-not just to steal the lead (and only) female role in the play from her mother, but to make her move on a handsome actor. And for the youngest Bartlett, Mac, it's pretty much summer as usual-dodging spiders, catching crayfish-until everyone else's plans start to fall apart, with results that walk a thin line between comedy and tragedy...