 Tina Balser (Carrie Snodgress) is a bored New York housewife-mother married to Jonathan (Richard Benjamin), a pompous, social-climbing lawyer who ridicules her in front of their children, criticizing everything she does or wears. She begins an affair with George Prager (Frank Langella), a dashing, successful and blatantly sadistic writer. Finally after George has tormented Tina in much the same manner Jonathan has, and has been unfaithful to boot, she goes back to her husband and begins group therapy.