Ann (Polley), a woman in her 20s, is married to Don (Speedman), her childhood sweetheart. She has two children and works as a janitor in a local university. One day she experiences chest pains while staying with her mother (Harry). After a visit to her doctor, she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Rather than tell her loved ones that she is dying, Ann prepares a secret list of things to do before she dies (which includes having an intense affair, finding a replacement wife for her husband and visiting her father in prison). Unexpectedly, by pursuing her list of goals, Ann discovers that she lives her last few days with a zest and intensity that she had never known before. Unlike other films that deal with terminal illness, this one avoids maudlin sentimentality, thanks in part to Sarah's Polley's gently lyrical performance. She had earlier appeared in Atom Egoyan's Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter (which, interestingly, both dealt with death also) and the recent remake of Dawn of the Dead (which has death in the title). Spanish director Isabel Coixet adapted Nanci Kincaid's book for Pedro Almodovar's production company.