On their 35th wedding anniversary, Petey Simmons and Martha Scroggs look back on the college days that brought them together, a memory lane that helps them understand the life they built together.
In college, Petey Simmons arrives as a wealthy newcomer, and the social world around him shifts to accommodate his presence. Rival fraternities circle him, and his ego grows as crowds of fraternity brothers and admiring girls vie for his attention. At a campus dance, his shy roommate sets up a date with campus beauty Mirabel Allstairs, but Petey ends up ignoring his own date, Martha Scroggs, instead weaving through conversations and dancing with other girls.
A notorious prankster, Petey has already faced trouble with the law before. His playful tricks on campus escalate—one example involves tampering with a professor’s clocks to delay an exam. A later act of vandalism only deepens the trouble, and he is ultimately arrested again. The judge who presides over his case threatens serious consequences, handing down a six-month jail sentence. Seeking mercy, Petey asks for a one-week continuance before the official sentencing, and within that short window he makes a bold move: he discovers that Martha is the daughter of the judge.
With this revelation, the dynamics shift dramatically. When the plan to win over Martha comes to light, Petey finds himself locked in the town jail under the judge’s stern watch. Yet Martha is moved by his persistence and decides to orchestrate a reciprocal gesture—she allows herself to be arrested so that she can share the same cell as him, their fingers touching and hands intertwined between the iron bars as they exchange a quiet, intimate moment.
The narrative then returns to the present, where the elderly judge contemplates how his daughter and son-in-law came to be a couple. The tale threads through their past and their present, revealing the unlikely romance that reshaped their lives. A new note enters the story as the judge learns that Petey Jr. has also been arrested, but this development does not surprise him; it feels like a natural extension of the family’s complicated history.
Throughout, the film balances humor with tenderness, offering a portrait of how a wild, carefree start can lead to a committed, lasting bond. The memories from campus days illuminate the choices that defined their marriage, while the present-day reflections underscore the enduring ties between love, family, and the passage of time. In the end, the couple’s long union stands as a testament to the way past misunderstandings and impulsive decisions can evolve into shared memories and a deep, enduring connection.
