Grow­ing up in a tra­di­tion­al Jew­ish fam­i­ly build­ing, in the ​’50s Sher­rie had a hard time adjust­ing to a rapid­ly chang­ing world. She deals with tra­di­tion­al ver­sus con­tem­po­rary — a divorce, a cousin dying from AIDS, an abor­tion, keep­ing kosher, law school, and her mother’s secret.