Nick Gardenia (Chevy Chase) is a writer who while working on a novel in his oceanside retreat, is kidnapped by two crooks who force Nick to rob a bank for them. On the run from the law, Nick seeks assistance from his ex-wife, Glenda (Goldie Hawn), a big-hearted lawyer. Knowing he would never commit a crime, she lets him stay at her house despite the fact that her husband, Ira, a district attorney, is throwing a party for law enforcement officials.