San Francisco based Phyllis and Steven Webber have hit an extended rough spot in their fifteen year marriage, as Steven, who manages a chain of dry cleaning stores for his wealthy parents, feels that she is more devoted to her work as an SFPD vice detective than she is to him as a wife. She working extended hours on her latest case, that of mobster Billy Sullivan, who is legitimate on the surface but who has his hands in several different illegal activities, he feels is only the latest in a long line of such cases for which she has been required to work long hours. So when Phyl learns of Steven's infidelity, she throws him out of the house. She is surprised by Steven's resulting move: filing for divorce, with a separate filing for custody of their only offspring, thirteen year old Sean Webber, Steven's belief being that he is a more stable parent than her.