Rachel (Meryl Streep) and Mark (Jack Nicholson) meet at a mutual friend's wedding, go to bed and get married shortly afterwards. She works in publishing in New York, he is a successful Washington columnist, who is always using his friends and social life as material for his column. All goes well initially with the marriage, despite the fact they endure months of renovation by incompetent builders on their Washington home. A child is born, Mark proves himself a fond father, and another baby is soon on the way. Then Rachel discovers that Mark has been having an affair with one of their circle. Heavily pregnant, she briefly returns to her father's home in New York. Mark comes after her; he says he loves her and asks her to return to him.