Peter Wilson is a sarcastic, near-sighted cartoonist living a solitary life in Manhattan. As a single bachelor, he enjoys his independence and prefers fleeting, physical relationships over emotional commitments. He harbors strong anti-feminist opinions and dislikes women, dogs, and children, often feeling flustered by the priorities women tend to have. Struggling with his vision, Peter's world is turned upside down when he visits his eye surgeon and is warned that his eyesight is deteriorating, which threatens his career as an artist.
One day, at the office of his ophthalmologist, Peter encounters a striking and strong-willed woman named Terri Kozlenko, played by Barbara Harris. She is described as leggy and eye-catching, and despite Peter's initial impression of her, he finds himself quite taken by her charm. Their connection deepens when he learns that she is a single mother of three children—Caroline, Linda, and David. What complicates things further is the fact that Terri’s ex-husband, Stephen Kozlenko, portrayed by Jason Robards, often appears in their lives, seemingly more involved with the children than with Terri himself.
From the outset, Peter learns of a significant threat to his future—his vision is rapidly worsening, and his boss, Howard Mann (Herb Edelman), begins criticizing the decline in his work quality. Following medical advice, Peter arranges for a surgery that might restore his sight, but he tries to keep it secret from Terri out of fear that she might worry too much. The secretive nature of his operation and the revelations about his impending blindness strain their burgeoning relationship. When Terri reveals that she was aware of his declining eyesight before they became involved, Peter feels hurt and betrayed, accusing her of only being with him out of pity. Terri, however, insists she has never felt sorry for him, and their relationship faces new challenges as pride and misunderstandings threaten to pull them apart.
The surgery proves only partly successful, offering some degree of restoration to Peter's vision. Motivated to pursue his work and reconnect with his passion, he moves out of Terri’s apartment to his old studio to focus on creating a new book titled The Last Flower, which reflects themes of war, love, hope, and human resilience. Meanwhile, Stephen is killed on assignment, a traumatic event that affects everyone but particularly Linda, who begins showing signs of a worsening stammer. Terri urges her daughter to seek help, prompting Peter to take Linda on an imaginary visual tour of his new book.
Through this journey, Linda begins to conquer her stammer, leading Peter to realize that he should not have abandoned his new family. The story concludes with Peter and Terri reconnecting at a celebration for his latest book, which symbolizes renewal and hope. Despite his initial misanthropy, Peter is forced to re-engage with humanity and discover the importance of love, family, and second chances.
In the end, Peter’s eyesight improves enough to allow him to see the significance of his relationships, and he finds happiness in the second chance at love and family that Terri and her children offer. Their journey reflects themes of forgiveness, understanding, and the transformative power of love – showing that even the most cynical hearts can find hope through connection and compassion.
