A touching story about the need for love, family and redemption, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES explores our undeniable desire for a sense of belonging and the often daunting journeys that we must navigate to achieve it. Set in South Carolina during the turbulent Civil Rights era, the home of the intelligent and independent honey-making Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo) is suddenly thrust into upheaval with the arrival of fourteen year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) and her caretaker Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). Surrounded by the unexpected comforts, grace and deep rooted spirituality Lily (Fanning) encounters in the Boatwright home, she forms a maternal bond with each of these women whose unique and special gifts help reconcile the loss of her mother. Lily ultimately comes to the realization that sometimes you must leave home in order to find it.