A well-to-do couple (Oscar® -winner William Hurt and Madeleine Stowe) in the Depression era find themselves in a tangled mess when they hire a young Harvard student (Neil Patrick Harris) to serve as a surrogate father for their child. But, their problems deepen as they must deal with the meddling of a new priest (Oscar® -nominee Kenneth Branagh) and the surrogate father's growing romantic feelings for the wife.