Crimes and Misdemeanors

Two separate but interweaving stories of the moral choices made in crumbling marriages and marital infidelity are presented. On the want of his wife Wendy and so that he can finance his own project, struggling documentary filmmaker Clifford Stern reluctantly accepts the offer of Wendy's brother, Lester, a successful but pompous and egotistical television producer, to shoot a commissioned documentary of him for a television documentary anthology series. The offer by Lester is also reluctant as he has a mutual dislike of Cliff, but wanted to help Wendy. However, in the process of shooting, Cliff meets recently divorced Halley Reed, an associate producer for the documentary television series. As Cliff and Halley spend time together, he contemplates having an affair with her, not only because he feels his life with Wendy is stagnating, but because Halley had previously rejected Lester's advances. Meanwhile, well respected and honored ophthalmologist Judah Rosenthal learns that his mistress of two years, ex-flight attendant Dolores Paley, wants to tell Judah's wife of twenty-five years, Miriam, of their affair. Despondent Dolores believes that Judah has lied to her in that he stated or at least implied that he would leave Miriam, and as such she has placed her life and opportunities on hold for him. Judah denies that he ever intended on leaving Miriam. As Judah speaks to others for guidance, both spiritual and practical, on how to handle the issue with Dolores who is applying greater and greater pressure on him, Judah contemplates taking the advice of his lowlife brother Jack to have her murdered so that he can retain the outwardly successful and happy life he leads.