Novalee Nation is a 17-year-old Tennessee transient who has to grow up in a hurry when she's left pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend on a roadside, and takes refuge in the friendly aisles of Wal-Mart. Eventually, some eccentric but kindly strangers 'adopt' Novalee and her infant daughter, helping them buck the odds and build a new life.
A horror writer buys an odd looking mutant embryo creature, pickled in a jar, from a shop in Chinatown, hoping it will be a creative inspiration for his work. Instead, the odd mutation provokes a rage of violence and lust to envelop the suburban villa where the writer lives with his wife and sexy secretary.
Deserted by their mother, a young boy and his sister discover the true meaning of family while living with their grandfather.
