After their two sons die in a car accident, the marriage between Ted (Jeff Bridges) and Marion Cole (Kim Bassinger) begins to unravel. Ted, a famous children's books author, hires a personal assistant who looks exactly like one of their sons in an effort to get Marion to divorce him. But his plan backfires, as Marion gravitates toward the boy (in more ways than one). All this takes place in front of Ruthie, the couple's four-year-old daughter. Based on the novel by John Irving.