Seeking a fresh start, socially awkward Iona and her cat-obsessed mother Lyn move to a new town. Together the pair put on a brave face, finding and creating comfort as one another's sole friend. However, life begins to get tricky after the town's small-minded denizens reveal themselves to be as petty and cruel as those from the town they just fled. At school, Iona finds herself targeted by a trio of mean girls who exploit her naïveté. Across town, Lyn attempts to make friends and is flatly rejected by a knitting circle of mean women who find her very existence repugnant. Daughter and mother find refuge in an elaborate fantasy world founded on denial and delusion; ultimately distance between them just when they need each other most.