Claude

In Providence, Rhode Island, hapless landscaping contractor Claude Dewey (Mark Evan Jacobs) is fired from his job over a petty misunderstanding. He returns home to his wife, who decides to leave him because she knows he is unhappy, and the day only worsens when he accidentally starts a fire in his kitchen that burns down his apartment. Claude is wrongly arrested for arson, but his neurotic mother (Charlotte Moore) bails him out of jail. At the site of his former apartment, Claude meets Béatrice De Lucio (Irene Jacob), a beautiful French immigrant who had only moved into the building the previous day, accompanied by Seap Sok (Nady Meas), a young Cambodian girl in her care. Too guilty to admit he was responsible for the fire, Claude invites them to stay at his parents' oceanfront home. Before bed, Béatrice asks for a kiss goodnight, and Claude awkwardly complies. The next morning while having breakfast, Mrs. Dewey urges her son to seek psychiatric help over his recent misfortune, and Béatrice confesses that she fled France to escape an abusive husband, but lost her green card in the blaze. Claude speaks to his lawyer friend, Danny (Steve Buscemi), who cleared Claude's arson charges and assures him that Béatrice's documents can be replaced. While Claude spends the afternoon with Seap Sok, Béatrice pretends to wait in line at the immigration office while actually hiding in the bathroom to avoid being seen. Meanwhile, a wealthy man named Mr. Gold hires Claude to landscape his yard. Although Claude thinks the deal will allow him to open his own business, his mother believes him to be delusional and bursts into tears. When Mrs. Dewey attempts to convince a psychiatrist to talk to her son, the doctor ends up counseling her about her marriage instead. During his first day on the Gold job, Béatrice brings Seap Sok to help dig, but Claude protests that her efforts make him appear unprofessional. After a lengthy fight, they reconcile and make love for the first time. The next morning, Claude receives an advance payment for his landscaping job and pays Béatrice enough money to find her own apartment. He takes her back to the immigration office, but Béatrice causes a scene, hoping to distract the officials from discovering that her visa is expired. While driving away from the office building, Claude questions her about guardianship of Seap Sok, and Béatrice admits that she took the girl from her sickly mother, who came to the U.S. and died shortly after escaping Cambodia. Claude relays the story to Danny, and the lawyer suggests his friend solve the problem by marrying her. Béatrice accepts his proposal, but is disappointed when she realizes it was not motivated by love. They argue, and she sneaks out while Claude is at work. Over dinner, Claude's family berates him for not being genuine in his proposal, prompting him to go looking for Béatrice. After searching through the night, he spots her and Seap Sok walking through a residential neighborhood. Claude confesses that he caused the fire, but Béatrice insists she does not care about the apartment anymore. He renews his proposal, admitting that he truly loves her. They marry shortly after, and enjoy a happy life together.