Based on the true story of a young Scottish lad, Peter Marshall, who dreams of only going to sea but finds out there is a different future for him when he receives a "calling" from God to be a minister. He leaves Scotland and goes to America where after a few small congregations he lands the position of pastor of the Church of the Presidents in Washington, D.C. and eventually he becomes Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.

Leslie's husband Steve is a brute and she wants out, at least she thinks she does. Her lover Elizabeth agrees that Steve needs to go away, so they plot his murder. Meanwhile their friend Cliff can't seem to get used to the idea that his wife has left him, and he tries to kill himself. The murder doesn't go as planned, the suicide doesn't go as planned, and Elizabeth, Leslie, and Cliff find themselves on the run from a very angry Steve. Trouble is, Leslie isn't so sure she wants to leave, so Elizabeth is compelled to compel her to accompany them.