One day an IRS auditor named William Gibbs arrives to determine why the Grodens haven't filed their income tax for so long and is suspicious of their ability to live with so little.

[5] The site’s critics consensus reads, "Excellent performances mark this leisurely paced film.

Here is a woman whose life includes acceptance of what she cannot change, sufficiency within her own skin and such simple pleasures as gardening in the nude.

"[6] He also praised Campbell Scott’s direction and Joan Ackermann’s script, saying they managed to avoid turning the characters into caricatures.

[7] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post wrote "every frame of this lushly beautiful film reflects the potent, almost mystical, effect the region's plateaus, canyons and deserts have on their human inhabitants" and called the film "a ravishing ode to the frontier spirit.