Martha Horgan, Debra Winger, struggles to have a normal life in spite of being mentally challenged. She is fired from a local dry-cleaner after accusations of stealing from the cash register, and she suspects Getso, David Strathairn, the boyfriend of her colleague Birdie Chloe Webb, of being behind the theft.
Desperate, Martha returns to Aunt Frances' home, where a handyman named Mackey Gabriel Byrne has been hired to fix the porch of the main house. Frances, the woman who hosts the place and plans a gala for a local politician, carries her own private weariness as the community’s spotlight shifts around the event. The porch damage becomes a sore symbol of the fragility beneath outward appearances, and Martha finds a tentative refuge in this unfamiliar space.
Mackey proves himself kind to Martha, shielding her from Getso’s bullying and even smashing the windshield on Getso’s van to defend her. As weeks pass, Martha grows increasingly fond of Mackey, recognizing a rare trust in him and sensing that he does not intend to take advantage of her vulnerability. The gala night arrives, and the dynamic between them intensifies: Mackey returns drunk to Martha’s home, and the two share a reckless, urgent confrontation on the sofa. He later sleeps with Frances as well, a night that leaves both women grappling with guilt and the fallout of secrets kept private. The politician’s wife, frustrated by a collapsing arrangement, leaves with her husband later in the evening, marking a bitter end to the public romance.
Mackey intends to leave once the porch is finished, weighed down by guilt over his infidelity. Martha, however, begs him to stay and even makes a bold move to seduce him. He resists at first, then briefly yields, and finally rejects her, throwing her out into the night.
Seeking comfort, Martha turns to Birdie, her sole true ally, and goes to Birdie’s home. There, she encounters Getso again, who taunts and threatens her. Cornered and overwhelmed, Martha grabs a sandwich knife and stabs Getso repeatedly, and he dies from his wounds. She remains with him briefly, trying to comfort him as he dies, a moment that seals a path she cannot retreat from.
Frances and Mackey go to the police station and learn that Martha is pregnant and could be charged with murder, potentially facing a life sentence. They find her overwhelmed with guilt but resolute about her future. Frances, who had long harbored suspicions about Getso, tells Martha that if she claims he raped her, she could be released. Yet Martha refuses to lie and does not reveal that Mackey is the father of her child. When Mackey urges her again to lie to save her life, Martha stands firm that he must take responsibility for their child.
The film closes with a glimpse into the near future: Martha has been remanded to a care facility where she can have day visits. Frances, Mackey, and the child are shown taking her out for one of these visits, offering a fragile moment of connection and a sense that life, though tangled and difficult, may still hold space for hope.
