You know those days in a family--weddings, funerals, births--when everyone comes together and all that history and garbage fester and boil and sometimes explode?

Well, this is one of those days. Maggie is in labor.

When the first contractions ripple across her belly, she has no idea what to expect. She knows what she wants. She wants that perfect birth from the movies, with her family gathered around, welcoming her baby, helping her become the perfect mother.

More than anything, though, she wants her mother to be there for her, but relationships between mothers and...