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The film jumps back and forth between 20 years ago and the present. It revolves around generations of a family, with a domineering father Charles (Willem Dafoe), mother Lisa (Julia Roberts), son Michael (young: Cayden Boyd; adult: Ryan Reynolds), daughter Ryne (Shannon Lucio), Lisa's much younger sister Jane (young: Hayden Panettiere; adult: Emily Watson), Jane's son Christopher (Chase Ellison) and Jane's daughter Leslie (Brooklyn Proulx) and Michael's ex-wife Kelly Hanson (Carrie-Anne Moss).

Charles and Michael have always had, and still have, a strained relationship with each other. For example, as a boy, on a car journey with his parents, Michael claims he has lost his glasses whereas he has them in his pocket. Even without knowing the latter, Charles, annoyed, has Michael get out of the car and makes him walk home in the rain. Charles imposes a long list of rules on Michael and also on Jane, who is staying with them. Jane hates these rules too. Michael embarrasses Charles in front of his colleagues by falsely claiming to have written a poem, Fireflies in the Garden by Robert Frost. He is punished by having to keep his arms horizontal while holding heavy objects, such that afterwards his arms hurt so much that he cannot even take food to his mouth; Jane feeds him. One time Charles and Lisa quarrel; in defense of Lisa, Michael attacks Charles such that the latter falls to the ground.

In the "present", Charles and Lisa go to a family reunion at Jane's house, which is Michael's childhood house, to celebrate Lisa's college graduation; Charles drives the car and is in a hurry. They collide with a tree, in a manoeuvre to prevent a collision with Christopher, who crosses the road carelessly. Lisa, who did not have her seat-belt on, is killed and Charles is injured. Charles and Christopher both feel guilty.

Between the accident and the funeral Michael cheers up Christopher and Leslie by taking them out fishing, and exploding the fish with firecrackers, like he did with Jane in the past. He encourages the children to lie to their mother Jane about the trip. Charles and Jane consider Michael's behavior inappropriate. Also, after Kelly arrives, Michael has noisy sex with her just after the funeral, with the family and guests in the house hearing it.

Christopher, in an upset mood, runs away. Michael finds him, assures him that he is not to blame for Lisa's death, and wants to take him home by car. Christopher insists that he wants to walk home alone. Michael gives him his cell phone in case he changes his mind, but after he leaves Christopher throws it away. He is missing for several hours, and Jane blames Michael for allowing him to walk home. He is later found safely.

Michael discovers that Lisa was having an affair with her young professor Addison (Ioan Gruffudd), and had planned to break up with Charles after her graduation. Michael visits Addison; the latter apologizes, Michael says it is OK.

The film title comes from Michael having fun with Christopher and Leslie hitting fireflies in the garden with badminton rackets, in the dark. It is also the title of Michael's book that he had written about his childhood.

After refreshing their memories of happy occasions by watching an old home movie, Charles and Michael reconcile. Michael destroys the manuscript of a book he had written about his childhood, which Charles and Jane were concerned about.

Flor Moreno (Paz Vega) a poor, Mexican, single mother gets hired as the housekeeper for John (Adam Sandler) and Deborah Clasky (Téa Leoni), their kids, Bernice (Sarah Steele) and Georgie (Ian Hyland), and Deborah's mother Evelyn Wright (Cloris Leachman),a rich, white American family. Flor's daughter, Cristina is played by Shelbie Bruce. Flor, Cristina, and John are very likeable while Deborah is mean, self-centered, and apathetic to her daughter. Evelyn is a carefree drunk.

Flor doesn't speak English so Cristina translates for her when she needs to talk to the family. Bilingual, skinnier, and overall kind, Cristina impresses Deborah, whom she begins to treat like her own daughter, taking Cristina shopping, getting her hair done, enrolling her in a private school, and showing her more love than her own daughter.

Flor becomes unhappy when it appears that Cristina is influenced by Deborah. This is in part because she wants Cristina to keep in touch with her roots, and partly because Deborah is overstepping her bounds by acting like Cristina's mother. Flor objects to the family's overreaching with Cristina to which John is apologetic.

Flor learns English so she can communicate with them better wherein John and Flor talk more and become closer.

When Evelyn realizes that her daughter is having an affair and that her marriage is in trouble, she sobers up and tells Deborah to knock it off because she'll never get another man as good as John. As Flor heads to their house, Deborah confesses to John that she cheated on him. John walks out, and runs into Flor on the way and they go to his restaurant to "hang out". They have the "greatest conversation of their lives" and confess their love for one another, but Flor leaves and John never mentions that Deborah cheated on him.

Flor quits and takes her daughter home. She tells Cristina that she doesn't want her to go to the private school anymore either, upsetting Cristina and causing her to scream that Flor is ruining her life. Flor tells Cristina that it is time for her to decide the most important question of her life: "Is what you want for yourself to become something very different than me?". Cristina doesn't respond and on their bus ride home she initially sits away from Flor, but ends up embracing her for the duration of their ride.

The movie ends with Cristina as an adult, years later, acknowledging that "all she is today" rests on the simple fact that she is her mother's daughter.

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