Michael has no memory of his childhood. Deeply intellectual but emotionally choked as a result, he is forced to wrestle with his unresolved past when he loses yet another lover in a string of failed relationships. After initially resisting he tries to piece together his history with the help of his friend Caroline., all the while grappling with the stress of his new career as a lawyer, the escape provided to him by the anonymity of the barroom, and his inability to control a growing unfocused anger. Caroline, a Christian, and Michael, an atheist, spend hours bumping heads over religious issues and meaning. Although Michael remains a non-believer, it is a Caroline and an act of God that finally opens his heart.