A devoted mother of six-month-old Gabe, Karen is struggling to get her marriage and her weight back on track. She loves her son dearly and truly believes her husband Gary will somehow return to being the loving husband she knew when they married. Karen knows she's overweight, but Gary blames all things bad in their marriage on her extra 60 pounds, oblivious to the fact that he himself is also carrying around an extra 60. Karen feels an overwhelming burden of failure - in her weight control and in her marriage.

Although Karen is a wonderful mother and a bright woman with a well-paying, responsible job, her inability to manage her own weight has become her personal mark as a failure. After trying every new diet that comes along, only to regain more weight than she lost each time, she has reached a new depth of hopelessness the evening she unexpectedly meets her quirky neighbor in the woods behind her townhouse.

Through her new friendship with neighbors Fowler and Janice, and even their dog Courage, Karen learns the real reason she's overweight and discovers the simple, commonsense answer to losing her weight and keeping it off.