 In 1938 New York, a dentist (John Malkovich) finds his business failing and his marriage on the rocks. Turning 40, he is a hen-pecked husband with little drive left for success. That is, until he starts getting involved with his lively assistant (Judy Davis), a free spirit with a penchant for tall tales and a hidden loneliness. Receiving encouragement from his own father-in-law (Eli Wallach), the two find comfort in each other s attention.