It's the turn of the nineteenth into twentieth century. Dentist Biff Grimes blames whatever problems he has in life on his childhood friend Hugo Barnstead, assured go-getting Hugo who Biff aspired to be like until they had their falling out. Biff has just once again moved his dental practice into yet another neighborhood, the fact and news of he being an ex-con which seems to follow him from place to place, quickly drying up his patient pool. He blames his incarceration on Hugo. Years ago, Biff was in love with beautiful but self-absorbed Virginia Brush, who he was planning on asking to marry him, but she ended up marrying Hugo who knew that Biff was interested in her. On the rebound, Biff started dating and ended up marrying Virginia's free-thinking, emancipated friend, nurse Amy Lind, who was the fourth wheel in double dates with Biff, Hugo and Virginia. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in June just as Biff and Amy are about to go out for a walk, as do many couples on spring Sunday afternoons, Biff receives a call to perform an emergency tooth extraction, the patient who he learns is Hugo. Hugo, in turn, probably did not know the dentist is Biff when the call was made. The fact of Hugo reentering his life makes Biff not only contemplate what he will do when he meets Hugo again, but reflect on his life, the often unrecognized important aspects which may come to the forefront in this reflection.