纽约黑社会老大保罗（罗伯特•德尼罗 Robert De Niro 饰）深感自己患上了心脏病，虽然体检报告并没有任何征兆，但他还是在老朋友的介绍下，找了离婚的心理医生本（比利•克里斯托 Billy Crystal 饰）治疗。 在治疗中，保罗的黑帮作风令本胆战心惊，但是这次交流却让他的焦虑症得以缓解。此后，即使遇到房事的困扰，他都会对本一吐衷肠。不过，正与未婚妻劳拉（莉莎•库卓 Lisa Kudrow 饰）度蜜月的本显然对此准备不足。警方发现了医生与黑帮的关系，派他做卧底。与此同时，保罗也钦点他作为私人医生，形影不离。在闹出很多啼笑皆非的笑话后，保罗和本都从中得到了某种心理补偿……
When mobster Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) suffers a crisis of confidence, threatening his ability to lead his criminal empire, he turns to professional help in the way of Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal) a psychiatrist who accidentally became acquainted with two of Vitti's henchmen. Dr. Sobel and his finance, (Lisa Kudrow) soon have their world turned upside down by Vitti's increasing demands for Sobels services which displace any semblance of order for the good doctor's heretofore mundane existence. Meanwhile, the growing importance of "the shrink" to the operation of the Vitti organization has not gone unnoticed in the law enforcement community, and the FBI approaches Sobel with an offer he cant refuse: betray Vitti by wearing a wire or spend a long time in a federal prison.
Complications escalate, and Ben finds himself dodging bullets, federal agents and rival gang members, but still wanting to fulfill his professional obligation to help the conflicted mob boss. It all comes to a climax when Sobel must act as Vitti's consigliore at a sit-down of the major crime syndicates to represent the famiglia and confront rival gang chieftain, Primo Sidone (Chazz Palminteri).
