This is the story of two people, unlikely protagonists - middle-aged, plain and emotionally awkward - both strangers in town. Douglas, with his thin sandy hair, bad teeth and jug ears, is an engineer (hampered by severe vertigo) come to reconstruct the town`s main tourist attraction, the Bent Bridge. Harley, a `big, raw-boned plain person` with three marriages behind her, is there to advise the local heritage committee about a museum they plan to establish.