What Is the Story of Natural Affection?
Natural Affection tells the story of Sue Barker, who has built a successful career as a department store buyer in 1962 and who lives with (and supports) a younger lover in her small Chicago apartment. The arrival of Sue’s 17-year-old son, Donnie—who was sent to reform school after having spent his childhood in an orphanage—shakes up Sue's relationship with her lover and sets in motion a series of explosive confrontations on a booze-filled Christmas Eve.