Doug Heffernan, chauffeur-livreur, et son épouse Carrie, secrétaire dans un cabinet d'avocats, mènent une vie paisible dans le Queens (quartier de New York) jusqu'au jour où l'excentrique père de Carrie vient s'installer chez eux…
Doug lies to Carrie about having to work late so he can play mud football and get out of going to her seminar. Now sick from his night of football in the rain, Doug starts watching TV and begins to drift off to sleep... Doug, finally full of guilt, goes to tell Carrie the truth of what happened and she doesn't react exactly the way he thought she would.