Based on the popular bestseller by Janet Fitch, White Oleander traces Astrid's remarkable journey to independence. Alison Lohman portrays Astrid, struggling to get a foothold in life as she copes with her manipulative mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) and with the challenges of living in a succession of foster homes (Robin Wright Penn and Renee Zellweger play two of the foster mothers ). Energized by the real and revealing performances of a stellar cast, White Oleander bewitches-and haunts-from beginning to end.