The Tender Land, set in the rural American 1930s heartland—perhaps on Route 66, The Mother Road, not too far from here—tells the intimate story of a young woman and her family at the moment of decision. Laurie, about to graduate, knows her family is proud of her and hopeful, but she feels strange about her place in the world—at once drawn to familiar traditions and beckoned by the wide unknown. Enter strangers. Enter unexpected, tender love. And enter, necessarily, loss and letting go.