Martin Quint and Jenny have moved to Bottlesworth College in Maine, where Martin hopes to find a calmer environment in which to write his long-simmering book on the role of live conversation in education. Jenny, meanwhile, has started a replica-antique business, and the couple argue over money, child care, and travel. A pushy college trustee diverts Martin's attentions with a new project, and an unwelcome relic of Martin's past arrives to push the marriage to a precipice.