When a woman, Sylvia, gets dumped by her husband, her two friends, Bernadette and Jocelyn organize a book club to keep her distracted. They engage Sylvia's daughter Allegra, Prudie, a young teacher, and Grigg, a sci-fi fanatic to participate in the club. The objective is to read a Jane Austen novel a month, only to realize that life imitates art in many universally dramatic ways.