英文名： Fireflies in the Garden

中文名： 花园里的萤火虫

The film jumps back and forth between 20 years ago and the present.

The family includes domineering father Charles (Willem Dafoe), mother Lisa (Julia Roberts), son Michael ( young: Cayden Boyd; adult: Ryan Reynolds ), Michael's estranged 分居的wife Kelly Hanson (Carrie-Anne Moss), daughter Ryne (Shannon Lucio), Lisa's much younger sister Jane ( young: Hayden Panettiere; adult: Emily Watson ) and her husband Jimmy (George Newbern) and children Christopher (Chase Ellison) and Leslie (Brooklyn Proulx).

Charles and Michael have always had, and still have, a strainful relationship with each other. For example, as a boy Michael claims he has lost his glasses while 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, staying with them. Jane hates these rules too. Michael embarrasses Charles in front of his colleagues by falsely claiming to have written a poem; he is punished by having to keep his arms horizontal 平行的while holding heavy objects, such that afterwards his arms hurt so much that he cannot even take food to his mouth, and Jane has to feed him. One time Michael attacks Charles such that he falls on 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. They collide with a tree in a manoeuvre操纵，机动动作 to prevent a collision with Christopher. Lisa is killed and Charles is injured. Charles and Christopher both feel guilty.

Between the accident and the funeral Michael has fun with Christopher and Leslie taking them out fishing, using bait with firecrackers in it. He encourages them 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 while the family is mourning Lisa's death.

Christopher, in an upset mood, runs away. Michael finds him 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 letting him walk home. He returns safely.

Michael discovers that Lisa was having an affair with her young professor Addison (Ioan Gruffudd). Michael visits him; Addison apologizes, Michael says it is OK.

The film title refers to Michael having fun with Christopher and Leslie hitting fireflies in the garden with badminton rackets, in the dark.

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

电影轮替描述着发生在二十年前和现在的故事。

这是一个复杂的家庭，有专横的父亲查理斯(Willem Dafoe)，母亲里萨(Julia Roberts)，儿子麦克(Cayden Boyd（少年）; Ryan Reynolds（成年） )，与麦克分居的妻子凯利·哈森(Carrie-Anne Moss)，女儿瑞恩(Shannon Lucio)，比里萨小许多的妹妹简(Hayden Panettiere（少年）; Emily Watson （成年）)，以及她的丈夫吉米(George Newbern)和孩子克里斯多夫(Chase Ellison)还有女儿莱斯利(Brooklyn Proulx)。

长期以来，查理斯和麦克父子关系冷漠。还是个孩子的麦克就会撒谎说自己的眼镜丢了，而眼镜就在他的口袋里；父亲查理斯并不了解自己的孩子，他曾在一气之下把麦克赶下车，让儿子在雨中走路回家。查理斯给麦克还有住在他们家的简制订了一系列的规定。和麦克一样，简对这些规定深恶痛绝。麦克骗同事们说自己写了首诗，还当着他们的面拥抱了查理斯；他被罚双手平举重物不准放下。如此一来麦克的手臂疼痛难忍，甚至不能自己吃饭，只能靠简喂他吃。麦克曾试图袭击查理斯，但却让自己摔倒在地。

在“现在”，查理斯和里萨一道开车去简的家里参加为庆祝里萨大学毕业而举办的家庭聚会。简的房子就是麦克小时候居住的那间房。查理斯开的车险些和克里斯多夫开的车相撞。查理斯将车打向另一侧撞上一棵大树，但里萨却在车祸中死去，查理斯自己也受伤了。查理斯和克里斯多夫都感到十分内疚。

在葬礼开始前，麦克为了逗克里斯多夫和莱斯利开心，就带他们外出钓鱼，把鞭炮挂在鱼钩上放进水里。他唆使孩子们对钓鱼的事向他们的母亲保密。查理斯和简发觉麦克的行为异常。凯利来了以后与麦克疯狂做爱，而就在此时，整个家庭正在为里萨的去世默哀。

克里斯多夫因为伤心欲绝而跑开了。麦克找到了他，准备把他载回家。而克里斯多夫却坚持要自己独自走路回去。于是麦克把自己的手机给了他，让克里斯多夫想乘车回家时好给他联系。然而，麦克离开后，克里斯多夫就把手机扔掉了。克里斯多夫失踪了好几小时，简责怪麦克让克里斯多夫走路回家。而克里斯多夫最终平安归来。

麦克发现里萨和她的年轻教授埃迪森(Ioan Gruffudd)有了外遇。麦克造访埃迪森；埃迪森道了歉；麦克说没关系。

电影的题目《花园里的萤火虫》描述的就是麦克和克里斯多夫、莱斯利在夜色中嬉戏，用羽毛球拍追逐萤火虫时的情景。

看完一部老的家庭剧电影以后，查理斯和麦克回忆了许多往事，他们终于言归于好。麦克销毁了他写的一本书的手稿。这本书是以麦克的童年为主题，其中提及了查理斯。