What Is An Unfinished Affair About?
The premise of An Unfinished Affair in 270 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the sun‑baked streets of Tucson, a modest college professor balances lectures on art history with the fragile hope of keeping his family together. Alex Connor watches his wife, Cynthia, wrestle with a lingering illness, while their adult son, Rick, drifts between youthful ambition and the weight of his father’s expectations. The household is intimate yet strained, a quiet portrait of love tested by time and circumstance.
Enter the enigmatic art student whose talent is matched only by her fierce determination. Sheila Hart becomes a catalyst for simmering desires, offering a glimpse of a world beyond the classroom—one where admiration for beauty borders on obsession. Her presence unsettles the delicate equilibrium, pulling Alex into a tangled web of attraction and guilt, while Rick finds himself drawn to the same magnetic force that threatens to upend his family’s rhythm.
Against this backdrop of academic life and modest suburban comfort, the story hints at hidden treasures that hold more than aesthetic value: a priceless painting and the promise represented by a son. These symbols become silent anchors for the characters’ yearning, ambition, and the inevitable clashes that follow. The tone is both atmospheric and tense, weaving the quietude of everyday routines with an undercurrent of suspense that suggests every interaction could shift the balance of loyalty and betrayal.
The film unfolds as a psychological drama, where art and emotion intersect, and each character must confront what they are willing to sacrifice for love, redemption, or revenge. The mood is layered and foreboding, inviting viewers to wonder how far the pursuit of cherished treasures will drive these intertwined lives before the truth surfaces.
What Happens in An Unfinished Affair?
The complete story of An Unfinished Affair, from the first scene to the last, in 1,371 words (about 6 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 6 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Alex Connor, Tim Matheson, is a college teacher in Tucson, Arizona, whose wife Cynthia, Leigh Taylor-Young, is in remission from cancer. Sheila Hart, Jennie Garth, one of his art students, invites him to her apartment to see a painting of hers. He reluctantly goes with her, but then tells her the brief affair they had while he was struggling with Cynthia’s illness is over. Sheila is heartbroken, and reveals that she expected Alex to marry her when Cynthia died. Alex returns several days later to retrieve a pornographic Japanese silk screen painting he had lent her. He was never supposed to have given it to her, and there will be legal repercussions if it’s discovered. Sheila refuses to return it, saying he had given it to her as a gift, and tells him to leave, before beginning to ignore his calls.
Alex has just gotten his adult son Rick, Peter Facinelli, a job at an art warehouse, where Alex works for his father-in-law and Rick’s grandfather, Clayton Edmunds, Michael Fairman. Rick is told to get back the missing silk screen, and Alex doesn’t tell either of them that he knows who has it. Rick jokes with a coworker about a poster on the wall there of dogs playing Poker. Sheila meets Rick at a yoga class, and they go on a date. Rick explains to her that he used to have a violent temper. He once found his fiancée having an affair with his roommate, and he beat up his roommate. Alex had to step in and pay when the roommate sued Rick. As a result, Alex and Rick have a somewhat tense relationship. He feels like the black sheep in the family. Sheila explains that her mother is in a nursing home, and that she is a Canadian and does not have a green card. Having shared these secrets with each other, they kiss.
Alex has been calling Sheila about the silk screen, and now her number is disconnected. After a romantic evening with his wife, he leaves and tries to sneak into Sheila’s apartment, only to find that she has moved and the apartment is empty. Back at the warehouse, a detective who is an expert in stolen art has been brought on to find the silk screen. Alex again doesn’t share that he knows where it is.
Rick brings his new girlfriend to Thanksgiving dinner with his family, and Alex is shocked to find that it is Sheila. Sheila is unfazed and pretends not to know him in front of the family, but in private, she tells Alex that she sought out Rick on purpose and implies that she wants to punish Alex for hurting her. After failing to convince Sheila to give him her new contact information, Alex goes to the warehouse and snoops through Rick’s things to find it. When Rick catches him at it and accuses him of “checking up” on him, Alex lies about what he was searching for. When he arrives home, a man named Dwight Bennet Michael Massee has snuck into Alex’s garage and threatens him. He reveals that he knows the silk screen is missing and plans to blackmail him. Instead, Alex offers him $15,000 to break into Sheila’s apartment and steal it.
Sheila photographs the silk screen with a Polaroid camera, and then carefully tapes the screen behind another painting to hide it. Alex calls Sheila, and she taunts him, suggesting that she is manipulating Rick, and then hangs up on him. Sheila and Rick visit Sheila’s nonverbal mother in the nursing home, and Sheila hangs the painting with the silk screen hidden behind it on the wall. Later, Dwight breaks into her apartment and attacks her. He holds her at knifepoint and asks where the silk screen is. Sheila guesses that Alex paid him to come after her, and offers to pay him more so that he’ll leave her alone. Alex calls immigration to report Sheila.
One day, Rick and Sheila are interrupted by her phone ringing. She snaps at the caller that if he calls again, she will call the cops. She and Rick argue because she doesn’t want to tell him who it is. Finally, she tells him the caller is her mean ex, who keeps calling and threatening her. Later, immigration catches up with Sheila. She discovers she has one month before she will be deported to Canada. She tells Rick that her ex must have sent them after her. Rick invites Sheila on vacation with his family, where they announce their engagement. Sheila has charmed everyone in the family except for Alex. She admits to the family that she was once having an affair with a married man, but that she learned a valuable lesson and was lucky to have met Rick.
Several of them decide to go dirtbiking together. Sheila and Cynthia end up splitting off from Alex and Rick, and Cynthia falls off her bike and over a cliff. Sheila considers leaving her where she is dangling from a branch, but she sees Alex approaching and quickly saves her. Alex once again accuses her in private, and once again she taunts him, telling him that if he tells the family about her, she will share that he cheated on Cynthia while Cynthia was suffering from cancer. That night, she steals a gun from Clayton’s gun case. After Sheila returns home, Dwight again breaks into her apartment and demands the money she promised him. She explains that she doesn’t have it, but offers him the silk screen painting instead. She tells him it’s behind a cabinet, but when he searches for it, she stabs him in the back with a knife wrapped in a plastic bag. As he bleeds to death on the floor, she first calls Rick and says her mean ex is on her doorstep. She hangs up, and Rick calls again, leaving a frantic message on her answering machine that if her ex hurts her, he will kill him. Then Sheila calls 911 and says simply, “Help, he’s got a knife,” and gives her address. Then she retrieves the Polaroids of the screen and leaves the apartment. Rick races to Sheila’s apartment to find Dwight dead and the knife beside him. The police arrive, and he runs from them.
Alex is visited by detectives, Detective Wright, who tell him what happened. Alex tells them he believes Rick is being framed, but does not give them a suspect with a motive. They advise that if Alex hears from Rick, he must report him to the police. After they leave, Alex confesses to Cynthia about the affair and that he believes Sheila is behind this. Cynthia tells Alex that he has ruined everything. Rick calls Alex for help, and Alex leaves to meet him at the art warehouse. At the warehouse, Alex admits to Rick that he is the married man Sheila had an affair with. Rick is angry with Alex, but Alex is able to sow doubt in him about Sheila by asking why she isn’t clearing Rick’s name with the police as they speak.
Sheila has gone to the nursing home to say goodbye to her mother and retrieve the hidden silk screen, but finds that it is missing from the back of the painting. She hurries out of the building and is met by Rick in the parking lot. Rick shows her that he is holding a rolled painting and accuses her with everything he knows. He tells her that he went looking for her at the nursing home, and then realized she was the one hiding the silk screen painting. Alex also arrives, and he and Sheila each try to convince Rick the other is the one tricking him. Ultimately, Sheila shoots at Alex with Clayton’s gun and steals the painting from Rick. She boards a plane to Vancouver, and only while waiting for the plane to take off does she realize it wasn’t the silk screen painting she retrieved from Rick, but the poster of dogs playing Poker. The police stop the plane from taking off, and a stunned and enraged Sheila is arrested and taken away in a police car, while Rick and Alex return home together.
An Unfinished Affair Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Initial meeting and the past affair” to “Final confrontation at the airport”. 11 events name a place, across 7 locations.
- 1
Initial meeting and the past affair
Sheila invites Alex to her apartment to see a painting. He reluctantly goes and the moment stirs memories of their past affair. He tells her the brief affair is over as Cynthia's illness drags on, while Sheila admits she always expected him to marry after Cynthia died.
When:early in the story Where:Sheila's apartment, Tucson
- 2
Silk screen conflict escalates
Sheila refuses to return the silk screen painting, claiming it was a gift. Alex fears there could be legal trouble if the painting surfaces.
When:shortly after Where:Sheila's apartment, Tucson
- 3
Rick joins the family business
Alex helps Rick land a job at the art warehouse. Rick's temper and his troubled past create tension, making Alex feel like the black sheep of the family.
When:before Thanksgiving Where:Art warehouse, Tucson
- 4
Sheila and Rick begin dating
Sheila meets Rick at a yoga class and they go on a date. Rick explains how his violent temper began after catching his fiancée with his roommate, and Alex had to cover the fallout; they share secrets and kiss.
When:soon after Where:Yoga class and surrounding locations, Tucson
- 5
Thanksgiving reveals Sheila as Rick's girlfriend
Rick brings his new girlfriend to Thanksgiving with the family, and it is Sheila. She pretends not to know him in front of everyone, but privately hints she wants to punish Alex for the past affair.
When:Thanksgiving Where:Alex's family home, Tucson
- 6
Alex investigates Rick's contact; gets caught
Alex goes to the art warehouse to fetch Rick's contact information and to snoop for the silk screen's whereabouts. Rick catches him, accusing him of trying to spy on him; Alex lies about what he was searching for.
When:after Thanksgiving Where:Art warehouse, Tucson
- 7
Dwight's blackmail and the plan to steal
Dwight Bennet sneaks into Alex's garage and threatens him, claiming he knows the silk screen is missing. Alex offers him $15,000 to break into Sheila's apartment and steal it.
When:soon after Where:Alex's garage, Tucson
- 8
Sheila hides the silk screen
Sheila photographs the silk screen with a Polaroid and tapes the image behind another painting to hide the real piece.
When:soon after Where:Sheila's apartment, Tucson
- 9
Dwight breaks in and is killed; 911
Dwight breaks into Sheila's apartment and threatens her with a knife, demanding the silk screen. Sheila stabs him and then calls 911, claiming an intruder is at her address.
When:later Where:Sheila's apartment, Tucson
- 10
Immigration threat and deportation
Detectives brief Alex on the case and Sheila reveals she has one month before deportation to Canada. The looming deadline ups the stakes as the family dynamics grow tenser.
When:after the Dwight incident
- 11
Dirtbike trip and Cynthia's accident
During a family dirtbike outing, Cynthia falls off her bike and nearly goes over a cliff. Sheila lingers on the edge but Alex arrives to help, and in private she taunts him about the past affair.
When:during the trip Where:Dirtbike trail, near Tucson
- 12
Final confrontation at the airport
Sheila steals a painting from Rick and boards a plane to Vancouver. The plane is stopped when it turns out she has taken the poster, not the silk screen, and she is arrested; Rick and Alex return home together.
When:finale Where:Airport
Who Are the Main Characters in An Unfinished Affair?
8 characters, among them Alex Connor (Tim Matheson), Rick Connor (Peter Facinelli) and Sheila Hart (Jennie Garth): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
-
Alex Connor (Tim Matheson)
Played by Tim Matheson
A college teacher whose life is strained by his wife Cynthia’s cancer, he struggles with guilt after an affair with Sheila. He tries to shield his family from the consequences of his actions while navigating the tense dynamics with his son Rick and the elder Edmunds clan. His careful facade frays as the silk screen theft and blackmail threaten to expose his past, forcing him to choose between truth and family reputation.
- 🎓 Professor
- 🕵️♂️ Secret-keeper
- 🧠 Strategist
-
Rick Connor (Peter Facinelli)
Played by Peter Facinelli
Alex’s adult son with a volatile history, recently given a job at the family-owned art warehouse. He harbors anger from past betrayals and is drawn into Sheila's web, complicating loyalties within the family. As the plot unfolds, Rick becomes a focal point of suspicion and manipulation, leaving him torn between love, anger, and a sense of justice.
- 🧩 Loyal
- 🔥 Tempered
- 🧭 Conflicted
- SH
Sheila Hart (Jennie Garth)
Played by Jennie Garth
A charming art student who uses affection and secrets to manipulate those around her. She wields the knowledge of Alex’s affair to orchestrate outcomes in her favor, and her actions escalate into violence when the silk screen becomes a tool of leverage. Her shortcut to power is deception, and she moves deftly between affectionate vulnerability and ruthless calculation.
- 🎭 Charmer
- 🔪 Manipulator
- 🕵️♀️ Calculating
- CC
Cynthia Connor (Leigh Taylor-Young)
Played by Leigh Taylor-Young
Alex’s wife, in remission from cancer, whose illness frames the emotional stakes of the marriage. She confronts the fallout of the affair with a mix of vulnerability and strength, ultimately confronting the consequences of the couple’s choices. Her perspective anchors the domestic drama and highlights themes of loyalty and forgiveness.
- 💞 Wife
- 🛡️ Protective
- 🧪 Survivor
- CE
Clayton Edmunds (Michael Fairman)
Played by Michael Fairman
The family patriarch with a gun on hand, whose presence underscores the tension between old-world control and contemporary crisis. He is a source of money, warnings, and a dangerous threat that Sheila weaponizes in the scheme. His role acts as a catalyst for key confrontations and the climactic escalation.
- 🏛️ Patriarch
- 🗝️ Gatekeeper
- 🔒 Authority
- DB
Dwight Bennett (Michael Massee)
Played by Michael Massee
A blackmailer who discovers the missing silk screen and becomes entangled in a deadly bargain. His intrusion into the Connor circle amplifies the film’s sense of danger and violence, culminating in a fatal confrontation. His presence heightens the stakes and exposes the fragility of the characters’ moral lines.
- 📝 Extortionist
- 🗡️ Threat
- ⚰️ Fatal
- DW
Detective Wright (John Furey)
Played by John Furey
An art theft expert brought in to recover the silk screen and uncover the truth behind the missing piece. He represents the enforcement side of the drama, balancing the personal secrets with professional pursuit. His investigation threads through the escalating conflict and leads toward the resolution.
- 🕵️♂️ Investigator
- 🧭 Persistent
- 🧩 Analytical
- ME
Mimi Edmunds (Georgann Johnson)
Played by Georgann Johnson
An elder figure within the Edmunds family who appears in family gatherings, providing a quiet, observational counterpoint to the central melodrama. Her presence hints at the generational dynamics and the continuity of family histories amid the turmoil. She embodies the old-world steadiness that contrasts with the modern tensions unfolding around her.
- 👵 Elder
- 🏺 Matriarch
- 🧭 Observant
Where and When Is An Unfinished Affair Set?
An Unfinished Affair is set in Tucson and Arizona (Late 20th century). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
Late 20th century
The events unfold in a contemporary, late-20th-century American setting. Characters move between a university town, a private apartment, and an art warehouse, using a Polaroid camera and traditional tools. The era shapes social dynamics, including romantic entanglements, family expectations, and the pressures of reputation.
Where
Tucson, Arizona
Set in Tucson, Arizona, the film centers on a college professor, his wife, and the surrounding art world. Desert daylight spills into intimate interiors, from university offices to art warehouses and a nursing home. These locations serve as a quiet backdrop that amplifies the personal betrayals and tense confrontations driving the plot.
- 🏜️ Desert city
- 🎨 Art scene
- 🗺️ Southwest setting
What Are the Themes of An Unfinished Affair?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Betrayal, Power Plays and Consequences.
-
01
Betrayal
Infidelity fractures trust within the Connor family, triggering a cascade of suspicion and blame. Alex's past affair with Sheila creates a rift with Cynthia and undermines the family’s stability. Sheila uses deception and charm to manipulate Rick, exploiting his insecurities. The consequences ripple through relationships and the art world, revealing moral compromises.
-
02
Power Plays
Sheila engineers alliances and uses emotional leverage to control outcomes, from the nursing home to the warehouse. Rick's loyalties waver as secrets pull him toward conflicting factions. Alex manipulates perceptions to shield his own guilt, while others exploit gaps in trust. The film examines how coercion and manipulation can steer a group toward ruin.
-
03
Consequences
Crimes and deceit set off a chain of outcomes that no one can fully control. Dwight's blackmail and Sheila's lethal response escalate the stakes, drawing law enforcement into a web of suspicion. The ending hinges on who truly holds the power to shape events, with arrests and flights signaling the cost of vengeance. The narrative makes clear that every action carries a price.
What Kind of Film Is An Unfinished Affair?
Tense in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Mixed
A tense and claustrophobic thriller that steadily builds dread as a spurned mistress meticulously orchestrates revenge against her former lover, creating an unsettling and manipulative atmosphere of family betrayal.
- tense
- claustrophobic
- anxious
- manipulative
- obsessive
- unsettling
- adultery
- revenge
- betrayal
- family dysfunction
Content notes: murder, knife violence, psychological manipulation, blackmail, stalking, terminal illness.
Quiz
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