One day, Morroe Rieff learns that his friend and fellow writer, Leslie Braverman, has died. After meeting Leslie's widow, Inez, who is more flirtatious than grieving, Morroe joins up with three other writer friends, Barnet, Felix, and Holly to attend funeral services. However, the quartet faces numerous obstacles that could keep them from paying their respects.

"This motion picture is conceived to erase the memory of Leslie Braverman, who had the poor taste to drop dead, without warning, thereby inflicting on his family and friends all sorts of burdensome inconveniences—like, for openers, the funeral."