It’s 1998 in New York City and forty something Emily McKenzie is ready for a challenge. New to sobriety and relationships, she has built a solo life for herself that feels safe, insulated from her tumultuous childhood. The risks she takes come in the form of improv performances, not romantic entanglements. That is, until she meets Jack, a Los Angeles-based TV actor starring in an off-Broadway play. At first, the relationship seems casual and fun, a summer fling with a fixed end-date. But when summer ends, they are not ready to part. 

​

In The Secret of Broken Dishes, Emily and Jack discover an improv approach to life and love, saying “yes, and” to experiences and sometimes to each other. But life is more complicated than a four-minute skit. Can Emily create the relationship that works for her?