Quirky and rebellious April Burns lives with her boyfriend in a low-rent New York City apartment miles away from her emotionally distant family. But when she discovers that her mother has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites the clan to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father struggles to drive her family into the city, April -- an inexperienced cook -- runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help.

Quiet Time is a Sesame Street video released on April 1, 1997. Big Bird wants to find out what to do at "quiet time." He asks his friends for suggestions, which include reading, drawing, and napping. A countdown of the Top Ten quiet time ideas appear periodically (announced by David Rudman) on a Campbell's Soup can, including such ideas as "Practice your giraffe imitation."