Astrid's mother, Ingrid, has been imprisoned for the murder of her partner, an act which finds the young girl shunted from foster home to foster home and growing up far faster than is fair. As Astrid makes her progression the devotion to her mother's tough love begins to pale, as the realisation of the true nature of their relationship enables the young girl to become a woman. White Oleander is a fine rites of passage drama adapted from Janet Fitch's best selling novel, and though occasionally a bit clunky and disjointed the power of the two central performances keep the film elevated.