Respected liberal Senator Joe Tynan (Alan Alda) is asked to to lead the opposition to a Supreme Court appointment. It means losing an old friend and fudging principles to make the necessary deals, as well as further straining his already part-time family life and his wife (Barbara Harris). But it could be a big boost to his career, so he takes it on. Helping him prepare the case in Washington is pretty southern researcher Karen Traynor (Meryl Streep). Their interest in each other and developing relationship further complicates and compromises his life.