The movie begins with John and his wife on opposite ends of the kitchen table, with a loud buzzing and eerie music, at 3:30 in the morning.Christina is trying on a bracelet which she shouldn't be. But she can't remove it and her school bus is here. Her mother warns her if she misses the bus, no one is going to take her to school. But she does miss the bus. There is a woman putting up signs for her lost dog and Christina believes she sees it. Or does she?Peggy has two children and a husband, and she paints in the back yard (despite the film's title, this is the only back yard shown, unless one counts the one Christina sees on the way to school) and gossips with her neighbor. Another neighbor, who lives in a nice house owned by another of Peggy's friends, doesn't socialize with others and seems to behave as if she is better than everyone else. But she asks Peggy for a ride to the ferry.Getting back to John, his company has paid for his plane trip with frequent flier miles. There is a problem getting him on a flight that day, but if he takes another airline, the ticket he already had is non-refundable. The airport offers to let him stay in their hotel, but he lives in that city. However, it has already been shown that John and his wife may not be getting along, so the hotel room may be used after all. And as a result of his difficulties, John has his first encounter with a black woman in a blue dress. She has a nice smile and a pleasant personality, but her accent and elegant delivery suggest she is African or Caribbean, and she is having trouble getting a job and may really need the money. John calls home and talks with his sick daughter Snoopy. They seem to get along and Snoopy is getting better.Peggy learns that she shouldn't judge based on first appearances. John also learns an important lesson. It's not clear just what the outcome of Christina's situation was. It seems to be the same type story as young Beaver Cleaver getting into trouble and trying to resolve the problem.