A Home of Our Own

Frances Lacey is fired from the potato chip factory after being groped by her supervisor, and she assaults him in the same incident. On the same day, her eldest son Shayne is brought home by the police for stealing change from payphones, but no charges are pressed. Deciding that Los Angeles is an unfit place to raise a family, Frances packs up the kids, sells what they can't carry, and drives out of state in search of a new life.

With money running out, the Laceys barter what they can. Frances trades her wedding ring for car repairs, describing her late husband as a vagabond Irish Catholic son-of-a-bitch. They continue toward Idaho with dwindling funds.

They reach Hankston, Idaho, and see the unfinished frame of a house across from Moon's Nursery. Frances learns the proprietor, Mr. Munimura, owns the property and proposes to buy it in exchange for work by her family.

The family begins living and working on the house, with Mr. Munimura warming to them and becoming an uncle-like figure. They push to make the house habitable despite the cold, and their labor earns the right to call the house theirs. The project deepens their family bond as winter approaches.

Frances lands a waitress job at a bowling alley and pours every spare dollar into improving the house. Shayne works at a local dairy, and Murray helps at a scrapyard, earning various items to aid the home improvements.

At Christmas, the kids are disappointed to receive construction tools as gifts. Mr. Munimura visits and supports them, reinforcing a sense of belonging and community.

That night, Lynn gives Frances a blouse; Mr. Munimura explains his late wife began building the house for their son who died in Korea. Frances gains a sense of shared sacrifice and resilience from his story.

Shayne befriends a fellow classmate Raymi and falls in love. Meanwhile Frances begins dating her manager Norman, which dismays Shayne and strains the family balance.

One night, while Shayne escorts Raymi to a school dance, Norman assaults Frances. Shayne tends to her wounds and learns about her past with her husband, recognizing that he was the only man who treated her well.

In a moment of defiant resolve, Frances nails the belt her late husband used for discipline to a tree, signaling a break from the past. Shayne later confronts Norman at the bowling alley and is overpowered, while Frances decides to quit her job after the confrontation.

The Laceys install indoor plumbing as winter deepens. Murray accidentally sets the old outhouse on fire, and the blaze spreads to burn the house, leaving them with little more than memories and ashes.

Despite the fire, Frances discovers their savings hidden in a jar among the ashes. The find rekindles hope for reconstructing their home and sustaining the family through a long recovery.

Mr. Munimura arrives with professional townsfolk and supplies to help rebuild the house. Frances initially protests, but he reassures her that the community will restore the home and care for the children as if family.

It takes six months to finish the rest of the house, and four years to pay everyone back, but the experience forges a stronger family bond. Shayne narrates that Idaho becomes home even as he still harbors a desire never to return to Los Angeles.