In 1929, Virginia Woolf is starting to write her novel, 'Mrs. Dalloway, ' under the care of doctors and family. In 1951, Laura Brown is planning for her husband's birthday, but is preoccupied with reading Woolf's novel. In 2001, Clarrisa Vaughn is planning an award party for her friend, an author dying of AIDS. Taking place over one day, all three stories are interconnected with the novel: one is writing it, one is reading it, and one is living it....

Amanda lives in Los Angeles and is a movie trailer editor. Iris lives in Surrey, England and is a journalist. The two live five thousand miles apart and have never met, but both are dealing with the same problem: men. Amanda just broke up with her cheating boyfriend. Iris has pined for her ex. Amanda comes upon a website that advocates home exchange and the two decide to swap houses for two weeks at Christmas - both with a goal to forget their troubled...