The story of the movie seems to be taken out of a romance novel (and in a way it is, since the screenplay is inspired by a novel written by american author Janet Finch) and it describes the brutal growing-up process suffered by a young girl named Astrid. Astrid is the daughter of an artist wannabe, a woman named Ingrid (perfectly portrayed Michelle Pffeifer – “Batman Returns”) who shares a close bond with her daughter, bond tightened by the  fact that the father of family left when little Astrid was two. Now Ingrid shares a strange relationship with a man named Barry (Billy Conolly – “Last Samurai”), who proves to be a womanizer and in a fit of rage Ingrid kills him and for that she is sentenced to life in prison. The reasons of the killing are never made clear, it is suggested that it was because Barry was cheating on Ingrid, however their relationship is never really described, nor the intensity of Ingrid’s feelings who throughout the movie is shown to be more of a sarcastic, distant and cold woman. It is also suggested that Ingrid might have killed him by poisoning him with white oleanders (hence the title) but again this is merely suggested against the fact that Barry shows no signs of the slow poisoning and Ingrid’s arrest basically minutes after Barry’s death looks like a quicker means was used.

After Ingrid’s conviction, Astrid is placed in a series of foster homes, each of them representing a different lesson in life. Throughout her placements, she retains contact with her mother who provides her with views opposite those offered by the foster parents.

In the first home she is taken in by Starr (Robin Wright Penn – “Forrest Gump”, “The Princess Bride”), a former prostitute and drug addict now turned religious fanatic and dependent on the affections of Ray (Cole Hauser – “Hart’s War”), a married man. As Ray becomes more and more disinterested in Starr, the latter accuses Astrid of having an affair with him and eventually shoots her. The movie leaves the affair as a possibility and also shows that maybe Astrid was simply looking for the father she never had in Ray.

After a while spent in the hospital, Astrid is taken to a placement home, a temporary residence for children who have a hard time finding a foster home. Here she learns brutal strength as she is forced to defend herself against other girls (no reason is given though and the extent of the experience is not explored) but also meets a boy named Paul Trout, who likes to draw (much like Astrid herself). As he befriends her, Astrid becomes more and more defensive.

Eventually Astrid is taken to the home of Claire (Renee Zellweger – “Bridget Jones’ Diary”), a second-hand actress who spends most of her time thinking of her husband Mark (Noah Wyle – “Pirates of Silicon Valley”) of whom she thinks he’s having an affair as he is traveling a lot. Claire finds comfort in Astrid and the two form a strong bond, bond eventually poisoned by Ingrid who disagrees with Astrid bonding to what she sees as a weak and wrecked woman. Now feeling deserted, Claire commits suicide, a gesture that breaks Astrid down.

Astrid now returns to the placement home and to Paul, whom she now rejects despite them bonding before. Here she chooses Rena (Svetlana Efremova) as her new foster mother, a single mother with two daughters, obsessed with money. With Rena, she learns to handle and balance herself, in a way, until her mother’s lawyer asks for her help in getting out of jail.

However, Astrid finally sees her mother as guilty for her own situation, realizing that Barry’s murder was a selfish act, just as poisoning CLaire’s mind as well as speaking against Starr’s religiousness. Ingrid now appears as a selfish and manipulating creature, thinking only of herself but at the same time trying to mould Astrid into an image of herself. Ingrid is revealed as having deserted Astrid for one year when she was a baby, leaving her in the care of a woman named Annie, to allow herself to have fun. Ingrid reveals that Astrid’s father also left to pursue other women, making Astrid realize she was a child nobody wanted.

Eventually Ingrid seems to realize the errors of her ways and decides to finish her sentence in prison. In the end, Astrid turns her foster home experiences into art while building herself a life with Paul Trout.