Rival greeting card companies owned by members of the same family operate in a California city and Ray Wentworth works for one. Previously celebrated for the quality of his romance cards, Ray's divorce leaves him with depression and writer's block, and he is fired. California's governor declares a new holiday, Girlfriend's Day, which includes a contest to produce the best greeting card to commemorate it. Ray's former boss believes Ray can recapture his old magic and hires him Unreported employment to create a card good enough to win the contest. Ray then becomes involved in a tangle of deceit and murder as the rival companies fight to win the contest and the profits and prestige that will come with the victory.