Following the suicide of his wife (Amy Irving), psychologist David Callaway (Robert De Niro) decides to take his daughter, Emily (Dakota Fanning), away from New York City to a house in the country for a fresh start. Unfortunately, Emily is too grief-stricken to really appreciate her new surroundings, and she hasn't made any friends, save Charlie, who is imaginary. When Charlie begins to harbor resentment toward David, an already bad situation gets worse.