The Holmes siblings have just lost their mother, and are cleaning out their parents garage for the last time. Shelby and Megan are competitive sisters with polar opposite world views, and their adopted African -American brother, Dylan, tends to have conversations with inanimate objects. As the family goes through the mountains of bags, boxes, and piles and piles of accumulated objects, they relive childhood memories, both fun and traumatic. Things take a turn when they uncover a painting that was cherished by their mother.  She has left a letter saying that the painting should go to “her favorite” child, without specifying which one of them that is. Old wounds are exposed, and the day comes to a climax when Shelby's husband, Ethan makes a horrifying discovery in a dusty trunk. The Favorite tackles the universal question of how holding onto the past can affect the present and future.