A well-to-do Manhattan housewife, Alice Tate (Mia Farrow), finds her affections shifting from her stockbroker husband (William Hurt) of 16 years to saxophone player Joe Ruffalo (Joe Mantegna), a veritable stranger. After realizing her feelings, Tate begins to experience back pains and visits a Chinatown herbalist, Dr. Yang (Keye Luke), for a cure. Perceptive to her dilemma, Yang provides a series of magical herbal remedies to provide Tate the insight she needs to solve her problem.