Life imitates art when two Manhattanites — pompous teacher Willie and quiet photographer Phil — become friends after a thought-provoking screening of "Jules et Jim," Truffaut's classic film about a decades-long ménage à trois. Soon, the men meet Jeanette, a sexually liberated southern transplant who promptly falls for both of them. Frustrated passions curdle into jealousy as Jeanette entertains love affairs with each in the ensuing years.

Despite her success as a professional flute player and the constant attention of men around her, Susan Berlanger feels insecure because of her lame right leg. During a European tour, she decides to cover her leg with a cast to see how people will react to her as a nondisabled person.