Joseph Kopple is a retired violinist who spends his days tidying up his studio apartment or visiting his best friend and former accountant Howard, who is now in a rest home. Despite the friendly advances of his neighbor, Ida, Kopple would rather warm up to his fond memories of the past. One rainy evening, he encounters Charlotte Zwicki in the hallway of his building, who has just been thrown out of her apartment by her abusive boyfriend. Having nowhere to go, she turns to Kopple, who takes her in.