 The film traces the tribulations of a young married couple in 1950s suburban America.Winslet was attracted to the idea of playing a woman whose aspirations had not been met, and she read "The Feminine Mystique" to understand the psychology of unhappy housewives from the era.Mendes encouraged DiCaprio and Winslet to spend time together, and she believed the small set they used helped them to develop their character's strained relationship.