Guido and Vincent, lifelong friends at Cambridge, have different dreams: Guido wants to write poetry, and Vincent aims to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. Guido falls in love with Holly, an eccentric woman, while Vincent is drawn to the misanthropic Misty. In 1970s New York, their relationships of love and heartbreak reveal four intelligent people who, despite their difficulties, cannot stop believing in love. Laurie Colwin, a master of storytelling about emotions, remains one of the best-kept secrets in American literature.