Marty Piletti is a 34-year-old butcher who lives with his mother in the Bronx, New York. Depressed and resigned to a lonely existence, he faces constant pressure from his family and friends to get married. Marty has been disappointed repeatedly in his search for love, and most of his evenings are spent at the local bar with his single friends or working extra hours at the butcher shop. His outlook changes one night when, after much reluctance, he attends a community dance at the urging of his mother. It is here that he meets Clara, a plain and shy schoolteacher who has also endured her share of loneliness and heartbreak.

Marty and Clara find an immediate emotional connection, sharing their experiences and aspirations. Over the course of the evening, they discover a mutual understanding that surprises them both. As they spend more time together, Marty begins to experience hope and happiness he hadn't felt in years. Meanwhile, his friends and family, who were initially supportive of him finding someone, begin to exert pressures that test his newfound relationship. Faced with societal expectations and his own insecurities, Marty must decide whether to follow his heart or adhere to the conventions that have kept him isolated for so long.