Harry Bliss (Nicholson) is the owner of the House of Bliss Guard Dog Agency he's a liar and smart with it. Life's far from perfect and his marriage is on the rocks but hey he's seeing a marriage guidance counsellor. When a famous opera singer Joan Spruance (Ellen Barkin) starts to receive mysterious phone calls and her house is ransacked she moves into the Hollywood home of her sister Andy (Beverly D'Angelo). However life with her sibling is no easier. Besieged by Andy's ex-lovers harassed by her own husband and stalked by a killer she decides to hire protection -a guard dog! Harry is soon offering more than protection to the sexy Joan in this wacky entertaining comedy.