On a spring weekend, Jack and Kate Burroughs, Nick and Anne Callan, and Danny and Claudia Zimmer leave New York City for a weekend at the Callans’ country home. The men cook dinner while Kate and Claudia look at photographs of vegetables that have been Anne’s project for the past three years. Kate, a magazine editor, offers Anne an assignment, but Anne balks at the deadline. At dinner, Jack toasts Nick and Anne’s anniversary and to their friendships. The men think they were responsible for bringing them all together, but Anne insists they met through the women. The next day, the men race motorcycles across the property, despite Danny’s objections. In their competitive zeal, Jack and Nick skid off the path, ditching their bikes as Danny races to victory. Later, as the couples lounge on a lake rowboat, Nick mentions his success as an estate planner, but Anne disparages him as merely an insurance salesman. Jack stands to make another toast and, to memorialize the moment, he jumps in the lake. Not to be outdone, Nick also jumps in. Danny grabs a loaf of bread and slips overboard. Laughing, the women join the men in the water. As they collect firewood, Jack is shocked when Nick reveals his intention to divorce Anne. Months later, on the group’s summer vacation sailing in the Virgin Islands, Nick brings his new, young girl friend, Ginny Newley. Being inexperienced sailors, the friends break their anchor and get lodged on a sandbar prior to cruising around the islands. On the small sailboat, the friends are kept awake during the night by Nick and Ginny’s incessant lovemaking, and are surprised to discover the couple skinnydipping in the morning. Kate and Claudia are somewhat jealous of the parade of gifts that Nick bestows upon Ginny and, when he presents her with a pearl ring in a clamshell, their jokes make Ginny feel awkward. As Ginny and Nick retire below deck, Kate admits she is angry at Nick for leaving Anne, but is inspired by the couple’s passion. Claudia wistfully wonders how they lost that feeling. Jack is defensive, particularly when Kate insists it is natural for him to be jealous of Nick. When Jack restrains his anger and tries to analyze the situation, Kate laughs at him. They kiss, but are interrupted by Claudia and Danny, jumping into the ocean naked. Months later, in the autumn, the couples, including Ginny, squeeze into Danny’s new Mercedes Benz to attend Parents’ Weekend at the university attended by Beth Burroughs and Lisa Callan. Beth is happy to see her parents and enjoys school, but Lisa, reacting to her parents’ divorce, is sullen and withdrawn. When they check into the hotel, Nick discovers that Anne has claimed his reservation, but he is able to secure another room for himself and Ginny. When Anne enters the lobby, Kate and Claudia follow her outside to apologize for letting their friendship drift apart. Inside, Jack is shocked by Danny’s confession that Nick was unfaithful to Anne for years. Jack confronts Nick about his affairs, wondering why Nick did not confide in him, too. Nick counters that Jack is too judgmental and disapproving. As they finish lunch with Beth and Lisa, Danny irritates the others when he calculates everyone’s share of the bill to the penny, before suggesting they split the cost evenly. Later, when the group plays soccer, Jack and Nick are predictably competitive. In their hotel room, Kate is unsympathetic to Jack’s bloody knee and insists he can get his own ice. She is angry that Jack does not pay attention to her needs, and that he is jealous of Nick’s relationship with a young woman. When Jack refuses to anger, their argument escalates. Moments later, Jack meets Danny at the hallway ice machine. As they fill their buckets, Ginny joins them to collect ice for Nick’s injuries. On their next holiday, the group assembles in Stowe, Vermont, for a winter skiing vacation. On the first day, Jack and Nick race down the slopes and the competitive duo lands in the emergency room, where Jack is treated for a torn ligament and Nick’s broken ankle is put in a cast. At their lodge, Jack wants to talk about the group’s dynamic, insisting the situation has been awkward since Parents’ Weekend. No one else wants to discuss the topic and Ginny suggests they go for drinks at a nearby roadhouse. As they get into Danny’s Mercedes Benz, Nick asks when Jack will forgive him for leaving Anne. Danny replies that they are all mad at Nick; they love Ginny, but miss Anne. However, Jack denies being angry and Danny accuses him of dishonesty. At the roadhouse, Danny characterizes Jack as being cold and judgmental. Jack agrees to accept this assessment on condition that Danny admit he is controlling and hypochondriacal. Danny, ten years older than Jack, feels death hangs over him, and lists milk and underwear elastic among his greatest fears. Kate cannot help but laugh, and Ginny attempts to soothe Danny’s feelings by dancing with him. When they return to the lodge at 3:00 AM, everyone but Danny is laughing. While the ladies make coffee, Ginny suggests that Kate owes Danny an apology. Insisting that laughter can combat depression, Kate tells Ginny to stop worrying about things she does not understand. Infuriated, Ginny puts on her jacket and informs the group that she is tired of trying to establish a relationship with Nick under the constant scrutiny of the others. As she leaves for a run in the snow, Nick hobbles outside to follow her, but Jack stops him, insisting that Ginny will be fine. He is surprised to learn Ginny is pregnant. Kate convinces them to go back inside and, as they wait, she leads a discussion on friendship, suggesting that Jack stop judging their friends. Jack restrains his anger and claims that he is rational and cheerful, regardless of how people treat him. When Kate questions why Jack avoids anger, Jack unleashes his fury, breaking dishes and lamps. When he pulls a moose head from the wall and attempts to shove it into the fireplace, the others rush to calm him. Shocked at his behavior, Jack apologizes but Kate declares no one is mad at him for getting angry. By daylight, Ginny has not returned. Nick and Jack want to search for her, but they are both injured and Danny offers to find Ginny. Danny spots Ginny jogging on a hillside and calls to her as he crosses a frozen pond. However, the ice cracks beneath him and he falls into the water. Ginny runs to the lodge for help and everyone gets into the Mercedes to rescue Danny. They drive the car onto the ice, tie a rope around Danny and pull him to safety. Danny is alive, but his beloved Mercedes falls through the ice and sinks into the cold water.