After reading an ad informing of a need for carpenters, Mr.

Jones (Richard Gere) enthusiastically bikes his way to the construction site. He enters the house to inform the contractor that he will take the job but the contractor told him to leave because all the job openings have already been taken. Mr. Jones did not stop from there. He managed to persuade the boss, stating that he will do the first day for free. He also said that he can do double of what the other men can do. After pleading to and making the contractor laugh at his jokes, he succeeded in convincing him to make him work. He then said to the contractor, 3rd day, Ill have your job. He then proceeds to the rooftop to start his new found job. There he meets Howard. Howard asks Mr. Jones name but Mr. Jones became distracted with the noise of the incoming plane that he was unable to respond back. When he started hammering the nails, he starts to copy the rhythm of Howards strikes. This annoys Howard. Jones just laughs at him. Then he correctly guesses that Howard has 7 kids. He sarcastically congratulates him for having that number of children and said that there are a lot of mouths to feed. Howard only smiles but was obviously taken aback. Jones then let out a hundred dollar bill which he offered to Howard asking him to take his children out to dinner, claiming that he picked it up on the street. Howard was hesitant at first, but Jones insisted him to take the money saying that the value is not that much. Howard takes the money. Mr. Jones and Howard climbed at the peak of the roof. Where he aks, do you ever feel like flying howard? He then began a balancing act on the wooden frame of the roof. Mr. Jones is exhibiting a high, euphoric state. As he continued on teetering on the beam, Howard quickly realizes that Mr. Jones does believe that he can fly. He tries to persuade Mr. Jones to stop and grabs him. The scene cuts to the Hospital where Dr. Elizabeth Bowens arrives just in time for the rounds. They examine the case of Mr. Jones who was brought in by the police after performing a high-wire act on the roof. He was reportedly agitated, delusional and had auditory hallucinations during the time he was admitted. He had a primary diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia and was given haldol 10 mg. They assess for his orientation in which Dr. Bowens asks his name. He seems to struggle to make out a word out of his mouth but then he was able to utter jones. The next scene showed the psychiatrist, Dr. Bowens, in her own struggles in her personal life. Then next goes a montage of different clients that she handles. The next day, Mr. Jones had caught up to Dr. Bowens and they had a little conversation. He appears restless and talks in a very fast manner. He informs her that he is leaving. He notices the ring mark on Elizabeths finger and was able to know of her Swedish ancestry. Mr. Jones then called her by her first name, which surprises the doctor and demanded to know where he got the information from. Mr. Jones quickly changed the topic to the prescription of drugs and warns her that he knows everything. Dr. Bowens apologizes for the lack of time to talk. Mr. Jones replied, We could talk! which indicated a misunderstanding of her statement as an invitation. He asked her out for a date, which she refused. But she gave him her number for the purpose of offering her services. He then quickly leaves. He was energetic and was joyfully bouncing and dancing in glee.

In the meeting with the health team, Dr. Bowens suggested that Mr. Jones was misdiagnosed. She stated that he was Psychotic but not schizophrenic, expansive, intrusive and euphoric. She believes that Mr. Jones is Manic. Within hours of being discharged, he was charming girls and fearlessly flirts with one of them in the presence of the boyfriend. Mr. Jones went to the bank and charms the teller, Susan into spending her day with him. He withdraws over $12,000 and closed his account that he just opened the week prior. Then Jones gives a $100 bill to Susan, because she "will need it to take me to lunch". He buys clothes for her to wear to the opera that evening, takes her to an expensive hotel, and gives extremely generous tips to a hot dog vendor and a bellboy. Mr. Jones manages to spend all his money in a couple of days, indicating a self-destructive pattern. He purchases a piano just minutes after walking into the store. He then attends a concert. During an evening at the Symphony with Susan, his passion for music overwhelms him. Jones jumps on stage to act as a conductor because he is convinced that Beethoven would have wanted his "Ode to Joy" played at a much faster tempo. As a result of this civil disruption, he gets arrested and once again is hospitalized. This time Mr. Jones arrives in a state of agitation and manic exhaustion. He gets accurately diagnosed and treated by Dr. Bowen. To protect himself from hurting himself or others, he initially is placed in a four-point restraint and given a sedative, to help him rest. Mr. Jones denies that he has a disease and the topic was brought up to court where he reasoned out to the judge that he only has a grandiose personality and is like a big kid. He was released. After the hearing, He was confronted by Dr. Bowens and asked him if he gets suicidal. He said he does not have episodes of depression because he takes lithium 4x a day every day. Elizabeth tries to go away from him but Mr. Jones annoys her with silly questions. Bowens shouts shut up! and proceeds to her car. Mr. Jones followed her and pleaded her to give him a ride since he is broke. Bowens was mad at first, stating that she is not the one to go to with transportation problems. But in the end, she ultimately agrees. While on the car, Jones asked Bowens to treat him at a restaurant. She was hesitant at first but was later on convinced by Jones. They hung out eating fries at a seaside port where they started to explore each others life. Jones climbed up the top of the balustrade and performed a balancing act urging the doctor to join him if she wants to know him more. They continued to hang out that they and shared their past experiences with each other. She drives him back to his home. But after bowens left, Jones threw his Lithium on the trash. Mr. Jones returned to his workplace where he asked for his tools to be returned. He was not allowed to go inside. Howard spots him and calls him. He invited him over for dinner.

At Howards, he becomes depressed since upon seeing the family of Howard eating together at the dinner table, he realizes that he has none to experience the same with. Howard notices his sad expression and calls Dr. Bowens to give help to Jones. During their therapy sessions, Mr. Jones gives the psychiatrist a summary of his life. At age three he started to play Mozart, by twelve he had read "everything," and at eighteen he was the "center of the universe.And then I woke up one day and I was in a mental institution," he explains. Jones was first diagnosed with manic-depressive illness in late adolescence and had several hospitalizations for more than 20 years. He talks about a serious suicide attempt in college, but then makes light of it by adding a joke. He received different therapies in the institution. During Visitation day, Howard visited him. Mr. Waltman, however, another patient, did not have his visitor who he expected. He was taken by surprise by Dr. Bowens which prompted him to go wild and choked her. Jones saw this and responded immediately. He was able to break through the locked doors and stopped Waltman from cjoking the Doctor. After that, the both of them had realized that they have feelings for each other. Mr. Jones was asked by Amanda to play table tennis. He agreed. But he becomes agitated when he found it difficult to score. He shouts at other patients. When it was time for medications, he became angry when the nurse disturbed him from watching television and flipped the tray that caused the medications to scatter around. He apologizes after. Mr. Jones is already starting to doubt the effectiveness of the treatment saying that he cannot do it anymore. But Dr. Bowens still pushed through with him. Then, Dr. Bowens met Susan whom she talked with about Mr. Jones personality. She described him as crazy in a sense that they were both naked in a bath tub even though the room boy was there. Bowens asked her if she had another woman in his life. Susan said there was a girl named Ellen. The doctor investigated who this Ellen person is. The following session, Bowens wanted to explore more about Ellen. Jones said that she was dead. But Bowens disproved that, stating facts about Ellen. Mr. Jones was angered because he thinks Bowens was spying on him. That escalated into an argument between them. Jones started turning furniture aroung and cursing at Bowens. He then left. The rest of the movie involves an unethical romantic relationship between Jones and Dr. Bowen, who has serious problems in her marriage and eventually resigns from the hospital. Bowens, after discovering one of her previous patients committed suicide, re-watches the tapes she records during therapy sessions. In Jones tape, She observed cues of suicidal ideation in Jones statements.

Mr. Jones stole a bike from a stranger and went to Howards to pick up his tools. He then proceeded to the house they were constructing before. He climbed up the roof but before he could jump, Bowens arrives on time and saves him.