Plot: Living in an upper middle class family-oriented suburb, Sarah and Richard Pierce, who have an infant daughter Lucy, have a dysfunctional marriage. Sarah is already seen as a bit of an outsider among the "park mothers", so news of the Pierces' dysfunctional marriage would drive a further wedge between Sarah and the rest of the mothers, who espouse the "white picket fence/2.4 children" mentality. Into the park comes househusband Brad Adamson and his infant son Aaron. Not knowing who he is or his story, the park mothers coin him "The Prom King" because of his preppy good looks. They collectively have a "look but don't touch" mentality toward Brad. Brad is struggling to find his place in life, having already failed the bar exam twice and avoiding his third attempt. He continually is looking for connections to his youth, when his life held so much promise. As such, he too is in a unsatisfying marriage to his beautiful and driven wife, Kathy, the household breadwinner. By chance, Sarah and Brad get to know each other, and are attracted to each other if only in their search for that something missing in their lives. The question becomes what they are to do with their feelings. In the meantime, sex offender Ronnie McGorvey, who was convicted for exposing himself to a child, moves into the neighborhood into the home of his mother, upon whom he has a pseudo-Oedipus complex. Ex-police officer Larry Hedges, an acquaintance of Brad's, takes it upon himself as his primary goal in life to rid the "perfect" family neighborhood of this scourge.
Alternative Plot: Sarah (Kate Winslet) is a well-educated woman who cannot come to terms with her life as a housewife and mother. Brad (Patrick Wilson), a stay-at-home dad, is married to a beautiful filmmaker (Jennifer Connelly) and goes skateboarding instead of studying for the bar exam. The pair meet at a playground and soon begin having secret trysts while their children nap and their spouses are at work.
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