Set in late 1970s and early 1980s New York, the narrative follows Marvin, a passionate and neurotic man who makes the tumultuous decision to divorce his wife, Trina, after realizing he is homosexual. Marvin moves in with his vibrant and devoted male lover, Whizzer, hoping to forge a modern, unconventional family that includes his young, impressionable son, Jason. However, this transition sparks immense emotional turmoil, deeply wounding Trina, who struggles with feelings of inadequacy, betrayal, and a shattered sense of domestic identity.Marvin is desperate to have it all: a loyal ex-wife who still orbits his life, a glamorous boyfriend, and a normal relationship with his son. His obsessive control and inability to compromise create deep friction. In an attempt to find emotional stability, Trina is sent to see Mendel, Marvin’s eccentric and psychoanalyst. Ironically and somewhat scandalously, Mendel and Trina fall deeply in love and eventually marry. This new dynamic infuriates Marvin, who battles intense jealousy despite having initiated the separation, further complicating the family's fragile web of relationships.Meanwhile, their suburban neighborhood is home to two tight-lipped lesbians, Dr. Charlotte and Cordelia, who run a kosher catering business and serve as sounding boards for the
dysfunctional family. As the months pass, young Jason prepares for his bar mitzvah, a milestone that becomes the emotional anchor for the entire household. Despite their endless bickering, divorces, and romantic reshufflings, the adults unite around Jason, attempting to put their complex adult grievances aside to support the boy’s coming-of-age ceremony.Tragedy strikes when Whizzer, deeply athletic and full of life, falls suddenly and mysteriously ill during a game of racquetball. As Whizzer’s condition deteriorates—marking the grim dawn of the AIDS epidemic—the community’s petty squabbles evaporate in the face of mortality. Marvin is forced to confront the depth of his love for Whizzer as he watches his partner weaken. In a heartbreaking climax, Jason holds his bar mitzvah ceremony in Whizzer’s hospital room, bringing the ailing man immense joy. Whizzer ultimately passes away, leaving Marvin, Trina, Mendel, and the lesbian couple forever transformed by grief, resilience, and an unconventional definition of
unconditional love. They gather together to mourn, realizing that despite the pain and fractured beginnings, they have forged a resilient, enduring bond that transcends traditional family structures, leaving Marvin alone to contemplate the profound cost of love, loss, and self-discovery in a rapidly changing world.