Beth Piedmont's car overheats on a sweltering August afternoon. Her only choice is to wait by her vehicle for road service. Recently divorced, Beth is leery of men and politely refuses an offer from a handsome stranger to wait at his air-conditioned home. Ted Lamont, the sophisticated New York playwright who recently moved to Tucker's Landing, sees a woman standing by her SUV on the side of the road and stops to offer assistance. Once Beth realizes who he is, she changes her mind and accepts his invitation. The two find they have many things in common. Their love for the theater, plus a mutual attraction that neither can deny for long, creates a fast-moving, romantic involvement.

Ted invites Beth to the opening of a Broadway show in New York City. The evening is going great, despite an unexpected snowstorm, until Ted's ex-girlfriend turns up at the review party and creates a storm of her own. Uninvited and drunk, Diana Lange, the lovely, but self-centered star of stage and screen, humiliates Ted and causes trouble for him by revealing a secret he's been keeping from Beth.

Angry and hurt, Beth refuses to listen to his explanation and heads home alone in the storm. With his plans ruined, Ted stays in the city for two weeks. After a confrontation with Diana, Ted knows he has an important decision to make.