In the city of Montreal, corporate climber Jeffrey Byron (Jonny Lee Miller) is about to close another lucrative business deal. Despite his youth (early 20's), his keen business savvy reaps a hefty salary that pays comfortably for his most carefully-plotted passion-himself. At this time in his life, evelything is, according to Jeffrey, "working quite well on many levels,"

Jeffrey's wife, Marianne Byron (Lara Flynn Boyle), feels that "nothing is working." Not only does she need to find a handyman for minor repairs around their ultra-designed apartment, but she also has a burning desire to have a baby, a desire that does not work into Jeffrey's plans. Frustrated by this marital stalemate, Marianne goes about tracking her fertility cycle while Jeffrey tracks the stock market.

Across town, Lucky "Fix-It" Mann (Nick Nolte), a repair contractor, arrives home. Lucky's a straightforward, easy-going guy who has clear insights into human nature, especially with his principle clientele-lonely housewives seeking to have a man around the house. Lucky finds his wife, Phyllis Mann (Julie Christie), a former B-movie actress, in a nostalgic haze, watching tapes of her old films and reminiscing about her acting days. Many years ago Phyllis had an extra-marital tryst, a powerful incident that nearly destroyed their marriage. Lucky has been guilty of improprieties too, but he is always ready to break down the long-standing barrier between he and his wife. She allows Lucky to fool around with other women but resists his attempts to bring romance back into their marriage. Their marriage is the kind of union that only stray cats could produce: one rife with infidelity yet based on strong attachment.

When Marianne telephones Lucky for repairs at her apartment, his "If I can't fix it, it ain't broken" air of assurance takes her by surprise. Unlike her indifferent husband, Jeffrey, Lucky's eagerness to communicate all his attention to her yearnings churns up long neglected feelings. Their open-hearted dialogue progresses into an affair ... and for betraying their spouses, suspicions are raised. Separately, both Phyllis and Jeffrey track the unfaithful pair to the Ritz hotel bar, discovering not the cheaters, but each other. They flirt over a bottle of champagne, each unaware of the other's true identity...

When two married couples - an older one with a painful past, and a younger one with an uncertain future - confront each other and themselves, they reside in ...

Afterglow ...

a comedy of tears