Based on Calder Willingham's novel of the same name, RAMBLING ROSE is a domestic drama set in a small Georgia town during the 1930s. The main character is Rose (Laura Dern), a lower-class girl with a troubled past who takes a job as a live-in maid for the Hillyers, an upper-crust, liberal southern family. Rose quickly wins over her employers with her warmth and spirit, but they are concerned about her promiscuity, which soon has every boy in town at her door. Struggling to resist her innocently seductive ways, the man of the house (Robert Duvall) tries to curb Rose's behavior as she beguiles everyone in the household, including the young Buddy (Lukas Haas), whose sexual awakening is guided by her presence. The cast is rounded out by the strong-minded and independent Mrs. Hillyer (Diane Ladd), who is Laura Dern's real life mother; both actresses were nominated for Oscars for their performances.