Forget Paris
At a restaurant in New York City, Andy prepares to introduce his friends to his fiancée, Liz. As the couple waits for the rest of the party to arrive, Andy tells Liz the story of how his friends Mickey and Ellen came to fall in love. As each of Andy's friends arrive, more of the story is unfolded.
Mickey Gordon is a National Basketball Association referee who honors his recently-deceased father's wishes by burying him at the resting site of his World War II Army platoon in France, of which he was the sole survivor, but the plans are delayed after the airline misplaces the casket.
Ellen Andrews, an airline employee from Wichita working in Paris, assists Mickey in locating and retrieving the casket. She surprises Mickey by attending the burial so he won't be alone. Mickey rides back to Paris with Ellen, and the two get to know each other along the way. Mickey decides to delay his return trip to the United States to spend time with Ellen. The two fall in love, but Mickey is forced to return for the beginning of the NBA season.
Mickey's loneliness leads him to lose his temper during a nationally-televised game. Mickey is suspended by the NBA for a week. During the suspension, he returns to Paris to see Ellen. Mickey learns Ellen is married but separated, and is unsure if she and her husband will get back together. While Mickey is in Charlotte to referee a game, Ellen arrives to meet him and reveals that she has gotten a divorce. Having quit her job in France, Ellen marries Mickey. After a honeymoon period spent on the road during the NBA season, the couple settles in the San Fernando Valley outside Mickey's hometown of Los Angeles.
When the next basketball season begins, Ellen takes an entry-level customer service job with American Airlines, while Mickey travels with the NBA. Hating her new job and only seeing Mickey a few days each month, Ellen becomes lonely and depressed. She asks Mickey to quit his job; he compromises by taking a one-year leave of absence and briefly working as a car salesman. Ellen gets promoted and climbs the corporate ladder, leaving Mickey at home to tend to her father, Arthur.
Mickey, unhappy at home with Arthur, decides to return early to the NBA. He comes home from a road trip to find Ellen gone. Before he can read her note, she arrives and explains that she had simply returned to Kansas to deliver Arthur to her siblings so she and Mickey can be alone and repair their marriage.
Ellen approaches Mickey and says she has been offered a transfer to Dallas. Mickey refuses to move away from California, so Ellen takes the airline's other offer of a transfer to Paris. Now separated, the two are seemingly content in their original arrangements: Mickey traveling with the NBA, and Ellen working for an airline in Paris. It is obvious to all of their friends that they miss each other's company.
At the restaurant, Andy's friends have caught Liz up to date, with the latest development coming four months prior. A basketball fan enters the restaurant and informs the group of an odd occurrence during the traditional singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to that night's New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. Mickey decides to go AWOL from his job and immediately return to Paris to find Ellen. Before he can make it across the basketball court, he spots Ellen in the arena. The two meet and reconcile at mid-court, and as the arena lights come on after the anthem, the entire crowd sees the two kissing. Mickey and Ellen arrive at the restaurant together and re-tell Liz the story of their relationship.
boring, flashback