Poor Evelyn Couch is middle-aged, plain, pudgy and suffering from empty nest syndrome. To make it worse, her slobby, beer- swilling and sports-addicted Ed pays little or no attention to her. Life looks pretty grim for Evelyn until she meets the irrepressible Ninny Threadgoode at the nursing home where Ed's irascible aunt is staying. Obviously lonely, Ninny introduces herself to Evelyn and begins to tell her stories from her life. Most of them center around the exploits of Idgie Threadgoode, a free-spirited young woman who grows up wild after her beloved brother is killed. Evelyn is enthralled and a friendship begins between her and Ninny. Based upon Fanny Flagg's best-seller, Fried Green Tomatoes, follows that friendship and the alternately touching and funny ways in which it changes their lives. As Ninny continues her stories over a series of months, they have a particularly strong effect upon Evelyn and she slowly begins to see that there is indeed life beyond middle-age and that she, like Idgie, has the power to change things.