Elaine Risley, an artist, returns to her home town of Toronto for a showing of her art work. Elaine's visit triggers memories of her childhood with all the urgency of a bad rash. Dominating her reflections are her childhood "friends," three girls who wreak havoc on Elaine's self-esteem. Having spent her early childhood on the road with an entomologist father, a less than traditional mother, and a brother more concerned with snot and snakes than the intricate behavior codes of girls, the young Elaine is vulnerable to the indirect aggression of Cordelia, the ringleader of the group who seeks to improve her. The self-effacement of these girl-children barely masks a need for power that erupts all too often in cruel forms of play. The girls insist on improving Elaine until the fated day comes and Elaine almost dies from Cordelia's punishment. From then on, she has a power over them, and makes a new friend.
             Elaine continues ignoring her "friends" and playing with her brother until high school, when Cordelia becomes her partner to walk to school with. Cordelia and Elaine become best friends.
             Elaine goes on to a University to study art, where she meets Josef, her professor. He teaches her to breathe life into her work, and later becomes her lover. She also makes friends with the boys in her class, happy to be included and have nothing expected of her, except to get them into the 'lady' section' of bars. She continues to see Josef, who is also seeing another woman, Susie, on the side. She begins to see another man as well, Jon. She then breaks it off with Josef and continues to see Jon, and becomes pregnant with his child. They decide to get married. Once Sarah, their child, is born they begin to fight-which eventually leads to Elaine's attempt of suicide.
             Elaine takes Sarah and leaves Jon. She finds a job, continues painting, and makes it as a feminist controversial
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