Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives -- and a small Mississippi town -- upside down when she decide to interview the black females who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families.

Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the loss of courage of her friends in the tight-knit black neighbourhood. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their working together for mutual benefit and shortly more females come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say.Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly -- and not wanting to -- caught up in the changing times.