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Barry Egan is a fragile, socially awkward small-business owner in the San Fernando Valley who deals in novelty toilet plungers. Emotionally suffocated by his seven overbearing sisters, who constantly berate and mock him, Barry exists in a state of quiet desperation, prone to sudden, violent outbursts of repressed rage where he shatters glass doors and trashes rooms.His life takes a bizarre turn when he finds a harmonium discarded in the street, bringing it into his office. Simultaneously, through a TV commercial, he exploits a loophole in a healthy-food promotion to collect hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer miles, hoping to redeem them for expensive merchandise without spending a fortune. Around this time, his sister Elizabeth introduces him to Lena Leonard, a kind and enigmatic woman who is immediately drawn to Barry's eccentricities. Though initially hesitant, Barry goes on a disastrous first date with her, marked by his overwhelming social anxiety and a sudden, destructive fit of anger.Compounding his fragile mental state, Barry makes a late-night phone call to a phone-sex line out of severe loneliness. The operator, Georgia, later uses the information she extracted to extort him, demanding money under the threat of exposing his embarrassing call to his family. When Barry refuses to pay, Georgia dispatches four thuggish brothers who run a mattress store as a front to track him down, severely beating him and damaging his car.Despite the looming threat of the extortionists and his own emotional instability, Barry's burgeoning romance with Lena provides a powerful counterweight. Lena visits his office, and their connection deepens, offering Barry a rare glimpse of genuine affection and acceptance. When the thugs trace him to his workplace and threaten Lena, injuring her in the process, Barry’s protective instincts finally shatter his cycle of passive endurance.Fueled by a newfound, righteous anger, Barry confronts the extortion ring head-on. He travels to Utah, tracks down the cowardly mastermind behind the operation—Dean Trumbell, who runs a mattress outlet—and violently intimidates him and his thugs into backing off permanently, warning them never to bother him or Lena again.Victorious and emotionally transformed, Barry returns to California. He realizes that his frequent flyer miles can finally serve a practical purpose. He visits Lena at her workplace, presenting her with the harmonium he found on the street. Having successfully stood up to his abusive sisters, confronted his tormentors, and embraced vulnerability, Barry confesses his profound love for Lena, finally stepping out of his emotional isolation to claim a future of genuine happiness and emotional stability.