The Franklins — dad Frank (Robertson Dean), mom Betty (Teresa Willis), son Brian (Vince Pavia), and daughter Caroline (Aviva) — are a normal North Carolina white bread family. They go to church every Sunday and say grace before every meal. Frank is a lawyer while Betty is a stay at home mom. Brian plays football. Caroline is a cheerleader. They all have something they are hiding, something that they feel ashamed of and work hard to keep hidden.

On the way to a church bake sale, the family’s car is sideswiped. Frank, Betty, and Brian are knocked into a coma. While they are there, Jesus (Pop DaSilva) talks to them. Before sending them back, Jesus removes the original sin, represented by an apple, from their mind. Feeling a lot lighter, all three blossom and rediscover their passions.

Caroline, however, becomes as bitter as she is physically wrecked. She rants at God in prayers that are very profane and racked with self-pity and recrimination. She recoils from her family and their new open ways. Caroline is positive they must have suffered some kind of lingering head injuries. When Brian comes out of the closet, Frank and Betty are not shocked; they are happy for him and talk very frankly about it with him. Caroline is completely disgusted and falls back on her faith for help.

Peggy (Mari Blackwell) is Betty’s best friend before the accident and a second mother to Caroline. She is disturbed by her friend's change and shocked by what Caroline tells her about the family. Peggy is torn between wanting to help her friend and fear of what the neighbors and church members will say about the Franklins. She seems to truly care about the family but is in so much conflict due to outer forces that she ends up joining the growing alienation toward them.

For me, there are two pivotal scenes in the movie. The first happens when Betty and Frank are going to bed after the accident. A return to normalcy seems inevitable as they say their prayers and Frank mounts Betty. They have their eyes closed tightly as usual when suddenly they both open their eyes. Shocked to see each other, they recoil in shock and near horror. Slowly they open up and start talking. Conversation leads to a connection that opens their minds and then their bodies.

The second scene is an explanation of the first. Frank is at work and overhears a couple of coworkers. One is complaining about the frigidness of his wife and how it’s leading to divorce. He’s tried everything he can think of and just can’t take it anymore. Frank tells him to talk to her, ask his wife what she wants instead of trying to guess and get it wrong. This is such a foreign idea to the coworker; Frank explains by relating a recent experience with Betty that involved a cup of ice cubes. Trust me; you will never look at ice cubes the same again after that scene. The coworkers miss the whole point of the story and focus on the act rather than the process that led to the act. The story spreads like wildfire through the office.