Agnes (Molly Parker, Pure, in MIFF this year) returns to her provincial hometown to visit her chain-smoking, alcoholic mother who is returning home from hospital. Agnes, who had fled to Toronto years earlier with a dark secret - and battled her own demons there - is greeted with a cold shoulder by her two sisters. The eldest sibling, Theresa, is a devout Catholic suffering from a marriage break-up, while middle sister Louise has retreated from the outside world and is gathering courage to reveal a long-hidden secret. Agnes' return opens old wounds and sets off a chain of events that force all family members to reconnect with each other. Imbued with subtlety and warmth, Marion Bridge generates an emotional, cathartic response.