Plot

Charles, a bored civil servant struggling through a harsh Utah winter, spends most of his time reflecting on his romance with Laura, a coworker who left him to return to her husband, an A-Frame salesman.

Working for the Utah state government as a report writer, Charles Richardson reminisces about his past love affair with Laura Connolly, to whom he was attracted on first sight when she worked in the file section of his office. Their relationship was despite Laura being married to ex-football player Jim, nicknamed Ox, he bringing adolescent daughter Rebecca into their blended family. When she and Charlie met, Laura was already on a trial separation from Ox, which always tainted Laura and Charlie's relationship with guilt, as Ox never did anything bad to precipitate the separation. Charlie can't help but think about Laura as he is still in love with her and wants to get back together with her; their relationship ended when she returned to Ox, who never knew about Charlie. Charlie's thoughts about Laura are only one complication in his life, those other complicating people being: his perpetually "glass-half-full" sister Susan, who shares the house he inherited from their grandmother; his longtime best friend Sam Maguire, a men's-garment salesman who is even less motivated with work than Charlie; his mother Clara, whose eccentricities and suicidal tendencies may solely be a cry for attention; Clara's current husband Pete, who wants a bromance with Charlie despite knowing Charlie doesn't much like him; his boss, Mr. Patterson, who continually uses him as a guidance counselor in issues related to his teenage son; and his typist Betty, who is attracted to Charlie, not knowing about his and Laura's past relationship--and whom Charlie consciously and unconsciously uses, knowing she still is in touch with Laura.—Huggo

Charles is a Salt Lake City civil servant who (*LOVES*) Laura, a lovely homemaker with a lovely stepdaughter and an A-frame-selling, ex-quarterback husband named Ox. His roommate is "an unemployed jacket salesman"; his mother is a spacy, laxative-overdosing, overly-eccentric basket case; his perpetually happy sister finds love with the dorkiest of guys; his stepfather has a jones for Turtle Wax; and his boss asks him for advice about his Ivy League son's sexual problems. He listens to Janis Joplin and dreams of getting Laura back once and for all. He does everything in his power to win her back from Ox, and the lengths he goes to provide the structure of the film in this bittersweet romantic comedy...a film that explores what happened to the Woodstock generation when they transcended their idealism (i.e. it was expected that they fall in love and face the music of routine). Charles is perhaps the quintessential saint of this ideology.—thustlebird

It has been one year since Laura Conley (Mary Beth Hurt) left her boyfriend Charles Richardson (John Heard) and went back to her husband Jim 'Ox' Conley (Mark Metcalf) and their stepdaughter Rebecca, but Charles thinks about Laura all the time. He has imaginary conversations with her and hopes she will come back. It doesn't help his loneliness that his unemployed best friend Sam (Peter Riegert), who has moved in with him, sleeps with other women in Charles's bed. Also, Charles younger sister Susan (Tarah Nutter) has a new boyfriend, a medical student named Mark (Griffin Dunne). If that isn't troubling enough, Charles' boss Mr. Patterson (Jerry Hardin) wants him to help with his son's sexual problems. Rather than feeling sorry for his stepfather Pete (Kenneth McMillan), whom he has never liked and having to care for Charles's insane, suicidal mother (Gloria Grahame), he envies him for having someone to take care of.

Charles works as a report reader for Utah's Department of Development in Salt Lake City. It's revealed that Charles first met Laura when she worked in the filing room. It was love at first sight. She however told Charles that she was married, but had moved out of her house six weeks before. Laura was unsure if dating Charles during her "trial separation" from her husband was the right thing to do. On their first date, Charles went to Laura's apartment, which only had a lamp and a mattress on the floor. He asked her to live with him, but she refused. So, he bought her a chair.

Laura eventually moved in with Chester where he was living in the house his late grandmother left him. For a time, they were happy together, even when they didn't do anything. But Laura felt she didn't deserve to be happy after leaving a husband who had done nothing wrong and a young stepdaughter who loved and needed her. Charles thought Ox married Laura to have a live-in housekeeper and mother for his daughter Rebecca. Laura couldn't deny it. Yet, Laura could not understand why Charles liked her so much. She was more comfortable with Ox's indifference to her than with Charles's constant attention and flattery. She complained once to Charles: "You have this exalted view of me and I hate it. If you think I'm that great, then there must be something wrong with you." Laura's self-esteem was so low that she felt more comfortable choosing, as Charles said in response: "Someone who loves you too little over someone who lives you too much."

When Charles became too possessive, Laura returned to Ox and Rebecca. Charles never called her, but became obsessed with winning her back. He watched her pick up Rebecca at school and often drove past her house, and he got friendly with flirtatious fellow worker Betty (Nora Heflin) just to grill her about her best friend Laura.

One day, Charles finally called up Laura and they make rendezvous plans. He is hopeful when she keeps the appointment, but claims that she is too sick to stay.

As time passes, Charles grows impatient in which he and Sam drive over to her house one day. Laura is stunned to see them arrive there. They tell Ox, who works as an architect, that they are interested in buying an A-frame from him. Charles and Laura sneak a hug in the kitchen. Charles blurts out to Ox that he loves Laura, who reacts very badly. Charles and Sam flee from the house and get away from Ox, who turned out to be a former pro-football player. Laura admires what Charles did.

Feeling guilty about being insensitive toward Betty, Charles invites her to his home for dinner. During some small talk, when Betty reveals that Laura has moved out again on Ox, Charles demands her new address. Betty feels insulted when she realizes that Charles only used her to get information on Laura. Sam then takes Betty home.

Charles visits Laura in her new apartment and demands to know if she is coming back to him. Once again, Charles seems possessive, and Laura responds that she needs some time alone. Charles says that he has already waited too lunch for her to make up her mind and that he is going crazy. When Charles realizes that Laura cannot make up her mind if she wants to be with him or her husband, he finally tells her good-bye. She closes the door behind him as he walks out. As he walks away, Charles will have to learn to cope with the pain of being without Laura in his life.