In the winter of 1966, a young couple frolics on their college campus and at a ski lodge. Twelve years later, composer and widowed father Bob Morrison writes music for television commercials, running the business with his friends, Steve Warner and Mario Marino. After a particularly frustrating day, Bob bemoans to Steve that he is sick of contending with clients who continually misunderstand and undercut his musical vision when he should be composing themes and writing real music, preferably for the movies. Later, Bob visits his college friend, David Miller, a fellow musician, and they tease each other about Bob being a successful “sellout” while David is preparing to play his first piano concert at Carnegie Hall, despite his financial struggles. That evening, Bob and Steve discuss a recently published article proclaiming Bob “the Mozart of Madison Avenue” and reminisce about their past. Bob hopes Jennifer Corly, the girl he loved in college and the only person for whom he ever composed a song, reads the article and regrets breaking his heart. Bob still thinks about Jennifer and recalls the moment in school when, after they spent one terrific day and night together, she explained she was not ready for a serious relationship. The next day, Bob and Mario fly from New York City to Los Angeles, California. Upon landing, Bob runs into an old college classmate who mentions that Jennifer lives nearby in Malibu Beach. Bob and Mario proceed to their meeting with a pair of movie producers, Sosnick and Foster, who inform Bob he is in contention with two other composers to score their latest film, a love story that will need dramatic, romantic music. When Mario departs to take care of some business, Bob contacts Jennifer and she invites him over for the afternoon. Bob drives to her home in Malibu and discovers that Jennifer followed her desire to become a painter. After they catch up, Jennifer drives Bob back to the airport and gives him a passionate kiss goodbye. Back in New York City, after dealing with annoying clients again and attending David’s piano concert, Bob tells Steve he wants to leave the television commercial business and focus on the opportunity to score films. Steve agrees to dissolve their partnership but the two men are conflicted about the best way to tell Mario. Bob meets Mario at a bar but before he can tell his friend about the dissolution of the business, Mario thanks Bob for being so good to him over the years and gives him a present; Bob finds he cannot give Mario the bad news. Later, Bob learns that producers Sosnick and Foster want to hear his idea for their movie score, but they insist that he work in California. Although Bob does not want to leave New York City, Steve explains Bob may have to move to Los Angeles because that is where the movies are made. Once he returns to Los Angeles, Bob invites Jennifer to the recording studio to listen to his composition but she declines. At the studio, Mario surprises Bob with the session’s piano player, his friend, David Miller, who explains he is glad to collaborate with Bob. The rehearsal gets underway but is interrupted by the arrival of Jennifer, who changed her mind about coming to visit. After the recording session, Jennifer accompanies Bob to dinner and when she expresses how much she loves his song, he admits that he wrote it for her when they were in college. After dinner, Jennifer and Bob go back to her house and she invites him to stay the night, but warns him that she is not capable of making a commitment. Undeterred, Bob spends the next couple of days with Jennifer and by the end, hopes she is finally ready to be with him permanently. Jennifer admits she loves Bob, but as she drops him off at his hotel, she reiterates her stance. Bob protests that if Jennifer gives up what the two of them have, she will regret it for the rest of her life. As Jennifer drives away, Mario approaches Bob with the news that Sosnick and Foster have selected him to score their movie and no longer require him to move to Los Angeles; he can write the music from New York. Bob returns to the East Coast and tries to stop thinking about Jennifer. David visits Bob and notes that while he is happy to be on tour, he is sad that the travel schedule means he will miss spending Christmas with his family and friends. Bob explains that is the nature of success. Later, on Christmas Day, Bob hands out presents to his children as the doorbell rings. Jennifer enters and Bob crosses the room to kiss her.