Ellen (Diane Lane) , who teaches at the prestigious Georgetown University, and her husband Paul (Kyle Chandler) , a well-known chef, are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. While the guests celebrate in high spirits, Ellen has the strange feeling that she already knows her son's new girlfriend. Liz (Phoebe Dynevor) turns out to be a former student who was expelled from the university because of her "anti-democratic theses". Now she is on the verge of introducing a fundamental change in society with the initiative "The Change", which could throw America's political system into turmoil. Suddenly Ellen is faced not only with the challenge of keeping her family together, but also of standing up for freedom and the values of an entire nation.