SYNOPSIS

Baby Sister takes place over three weekends at a Texas lake house.

Weekend 1

RYAN, her older sister CAROLINE, and Caroline’s husband JAY visit Ryan’s mother GEORGIA, a successful novelist recently diagnosed with cancer and informed she has less than two years to live.

Georgia puts a lot of baby pressure on Caroline, unaware she’s infertile. That night, the sisters bond over their shared situation: Ryan, a lesbian, also can’t conceive a child with her new-ish nonbinary partner SYD. Ryan asks Caroline if she’d ever consider using a surrogate; Caroline says no.

Later, Ryan is furious to discover a surrogacy contract with her own name on it. A sisterly spat (in tubes in the lake–Caroline flips hers in the middle of the fight) turns into an honest conversation and a request from Caroline: that Ryan will be her egg donor and surrogate so Georgia can meet her grandchild before dying.

Ryan takes time to consider. She Googles egg donor profiles, skinny dips and studies her body, considers consulting Syd but chooses not to, and asks Georgia about pregnancy. Ultimately, Ryan tells Caroline she can’t say yes.

Weekend 2

A year later, Ryan brings Syd to the lake house. During the time jump, Georgia passed away and (surprise!) Ryan is four months pregnant! She’s on edge about the weekend, which is worsened when the hospital calls with news that, despite her request for three, she’ll only be allowed two guests in the delivery room.

The official purpose of the weekend is to spread Georgia’s ashes, but the delivery room question looms over everything. The family avoids a direct confrontation and instead goes skeet shooting to show Syd some Texas flavor. Everything collapses when Caroline, making too big of a show of not micromanaging Ryan’s diet, makes paninis; Ryan, making too big of a show of being responsible, refuses to eat deli meat while pregnant. The fight, obviously not about sandwiches, escalates to a blow out.

After each couple debriefs, Caroline and Ryan reunite (without fully reconciling) to sort through their mom’s stuff, while Jay and Syd fix the family jet ski. The shared grief softens Ryan and Caroline; the masculinity of machine maintenance bonds Jay and Syd.

After the family spreads Georgia’s ashes, Ryan informs everyone that, even though it’s Caroline and Jay’s baby, she needs Syd in the delivery room.

Early the next morning, Ryan kayaks alone, still struggling with the pregnancy’s emotional and physical toll. Another pregnant kayaker appears, and the strangers sit together before going their separate ways. When Ryan returns to the dock, Caroline is waiting, ready to haul the kayak out of the water.

Weekend 3

Another year-ish later, the family gathers again at the house for Ryan and Syd’s wedding. This time, baby George has joined the family. After the ceremony, Ryan and Caroline sneak off with George. The sisters agree that their mom knows everything worked out. Ryan holds George until he starts crying and she immediately hands him to his mom.