Amid the upheaval of 1960s Berkeley, a home economics teacher, her sister, and their friends sell magic brownies to juggle financial hardship and the looming draft—sparking a journey of sexual and political awakening.

SYNOPSIS:

Reba is an unhappy housewife married to Merle. She teaches home economics at a local high school but dreams of being a professional chef. Her younger sister Margie attends UC Berkeley and lives in a run-down student co-op house with an eclectic group of residents.

When the co-op needs money for repairs, Mark convinces Reba to help them make and sell marijuana brownies. Reba perfects an irresistible brownie recipe and their illegal business takes off. As they deal with police harassment and the chaos surrounding the People's Park protests, Reba starts to break out of her shell. She leaves Merle and embraces the counterculture lifestyle with Margie and her friends.

Things come to a head on "Bloody Thursday" when the police attack People's Park protestors. Margie helps treat the injured while Reba witnesses police brutality firsthand. They decide to shut down their brownie business but first make one last big batch. When Reba almost gets caught transporting the brownies, she realizes the danger and decides to leave town.

Reba gives Margie half of their brownie profits to pursue her medical career while she heads to Paris to attend the Cordon Bleu cooking school. After years of feeling trapped, Reba is finally seizing control of her life and following her culinary dreams. The bittersweet ending suggests hopeful new beginnings for the sisters as the 60s counterculture era comes to a close.

The main themes explored are Reba's journey to empowerment and self-actualization, the sociopolitical backdrop of 1960s Berkeley, and the relationship between the conservative Reba and radical Margie. Ultimately it's a story of two women discovering themselves and supporting each other during a turbulent, transitional period in America.

BAKING BAD