Four diverse Los Angeles families: African American, Jewish, Latino, and Vietnamese, make their preparations for arriving guests and relatives for the traditionally festive dinner. From kitchen to kitchen, from table to table, from the rich Williams family (Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert) to the newly emigrated Trinh Nguyen (Joan Chen), the chaos of the Seeligs (Lainie Kazan, Maury Chaykin), and the internal furor of the Avilas (Mercedes Ruehl, Douglas Spain), we travel through the cross-section of American society.