Plot summary

After graduating from college, debutante April Delongpre (Sherilyn Fenn) and her fiance, Chad Douglas Fairchild (Martin Hewitt), arrive at her family's home in Alabama. After April is welcomed back by her parents, Senator and Mrs. Delongpre (Don Galloway and Millie Perkins), and her younger sisters, Samantha (Milla Jovovich) and Jody (Nicole Rosselle), she settles in and plans her wedding.While April and Chad take her sisters to a traveling carnival, Perry (Richard Tyson), a ride operator and drifter, flirts with her, but she ignores him. Before leaving, Perry hands April her misplaced wallet. Later, unable to sleep and thinking about Perry, April returns to the carnival and finds him playing fetch with his dog, Tom. Perry flirts with her again, but April rejects his advances.In the morning, April's family leaves for a weekend trip. Alone in the house, she hears the shower in the bathroom and finds Perry. April orders him to leave, but he insists that her visit the night before was an invitation to come over. As he approaches, April gives in and makes love with him. Later, April listens a to a telephone message from Chad, and regrets cheating on him.The next day, April visits her grandmother, Belle, her father's mother. April tells her that she feels unsure about who she is. However, Belle insists Chad is the most appropriate choice for her and her family. After April leaves, Belle telephones her old friend Sheriff Earl Hawkins (Burl Ives), and asks him keep an eye on her granddaughter.Driving to the fairgrounds that evening, April finds Perry drunk with a woman named Patti Jean (Kristy McNicol). Although angry that Perry is with another woman, he persuades her to go with Patti Jean to purchase more alcohol as a "burbon run". While driving at high speed in Perry's truck, Patti Jean tells April that Perry has been constantly talking about her. Upon arrival at a gas station and convenience store, Patti Jean uses the ladies room and openly flirts with April by commenting on her looks and appearance.Meanwhile, a carnival ride malfunctions. Unable to stop it, Perry destroys the power generator for the entire carnival. During the blackout, carnival vendors and workers attack Perry. As Patti Jean and April return, they go to help. When Perry's dog, Tom, bites one his attackers, the animal is killed by a switchblade knife. When the brawl is over, Perry is fired by the dwarf owner Smiley (Herve Villechaize) and ordered to leave the carnival. Picking up Tom's body, he leaves with April and Patti Jean. After burying Tom in a field, they go to a bar to drown their sorrows. While Perry plays billiards with a group of local men, April and Patti Jean continue talking, leading to Patti Jean taking April on the dance floor where they perform a lustful dance together. However, instead of taking advantage of April's curiosity to the same sex, Patti Jean tells her to go back to Perry and continue what romantic tryst they have going.Later, after Patti Jean leaves town, Perry and April take a ride on his motorcycle, check into a motel and make love throughout the night. In the morning, April goes to retrieve her car from the fairground, and finds the carnival gone. As she drives away, Sheriff Earl Hawkins follows her.Returning to the motel, April catches Perry flirting with the two housekeepers, and they get into a screaming match. April forgives Perry, and offers to buy him breakfast. As they eat, April talks about her favorite place, a lake pavilion owned by her grandmother called Two Moon Junction. After April leaves, Sheriff Hawkins approaches Perry and handcuffs him. Driving to the field where Perry buried Tom, Sheriff Hawkins says it is private property and he needs to remove the dead dog. Perry is heartbroken, but Sheriff Hawkins allows him to cremate Tom, then drives Perry to the Alabama-Mississippi border, and orders him not to return.Several weeks later, on the day before her wedding, April is surprised to see Perry setting up tents for the reception in her parents backyard. Belle arrives, and recognizes Perry from Sheriff Hawkins's description. She quietly threatens him to leave town, but Perry refuses. Belle makes a phone call to Sheriff Hawkins to tell him that April's lover is back in town.In the evening, April finds a message from Perry written in lipstick on her bedroom mirror: "Two Moon Junction Midnight." When April arrives, she offers Perry $5,000 to leave town forever and let her continue on with her own life, but he refuses her money. Angry, April tells Perry she is no longer attracted to him. However, Perry leads her to a pavilion and introduces her to his new puppy, Max. April reminisces about the wild times she and her cousins spent at Two Moon Junction, and her attraction to Perry overtakes her. The two of them make love in a climatic scene, which is inter-cut with Chad having his bachelor party complete with a stripper. Afterward, April cries over again cheating on Chad.The following day, Perry prepares to leave. As he starts his truck, a Sheriff's deputy arrives. Aiming his rifle, he fires at Perry, but misses. Perry knocks the deputy unconscious, and leaves town with his puppy. Meanwhile at the church, April hesitates before walking down the aisle. Sheriff Hawkins informs Belle that Perry is gone. Lying to April, Belle says she offered Perry a bribe and he took the money. Although April knows that Perry would not accept money from Belle, she decides to marry Chad for the sake of her family.Sometime later, Perry takes a job as a dishwasher in a new town at a local blues club. Returning to his motel room after his shift to feed his dog, he hears someone in the shower and finds April... reliving their first romantic encounter. Perry joins her in the shower and they begin to make love. With her wedding ring on, April and Perry will continue their secret affair.