The movie opens with lawyer Billy Halleck, who lives in a well-to-do suburb of Maine. He is struggling with obesity, weighing 300 pounds, despite his wife Heidi's efforts to put him on a diet. Billy’s weight is a source of tension in his family life. At work, he successfully defends a mafia boss, Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli, in court despite Ginelli's criminal nature.

Later, Billy notices a gypsy caravan setting up in a park nearby. A young gypsy woman, Gina, offers him a flyer for a fair, but he declines. The local judge, Rossington, is displeased with the gypsies and wants them removed. Officer Hopley eventually makes them leave, but they relocate to a nearby farm.

As Billy and Heidi head out for dinner, Billy encounters Gina again, who provocatively gestures at him before leaving.