| Director | Martin Ritt |
|---|---|
| Budget | $13 million |
| Box office | $30.9 million |
Emma Moriarty is a 33 year-old divorced mother who moves to a rural Arizona town to make a living by training and boarding horses. She becomes friends with the town's pharmacist, Murphy Jones, an idiosyncratic widower. A romance between them seems unlikely, both because of the significant age difference and because Emma allows her ex-husband, Bobby Jack Moriarty, to move back in with her and their 12-year-old son, Jake.
Emma struggles to make ends meet but is helped by Murphy. While refusing to help her outright with charity or personal loan, Murphy gives a part-time job to Jake and buys a horse with her assistance boarding it. Murphy also encourages others to do the same. Eventually, people show an interest in boarding up their horses & Emma's business grows. He also provides emotional support for both her and Jake, especially when someone without car insurance rams into Emma & she ends up with a mild concussion. Murphy spends quite a bit of time with Emma because of his horse being boarded up at her place & a connection forms.
A rivalry develops between Murphy and Bobby Jack, who is immature, dishonest & jealous; Emma and Murphy fall in love despite Bobby Jack's efforts to hamper their romance. Bobby Jack finally leaves town after an 18-year-old he had a fling with appears at the ranch with their newborn twin sons. With him gone, Murphy and Emma are finally free to pursue a relationship.