"Challenges are not supposed to paralyze you,
they're supposed to help you discover who you are."
— Bernice Johnson Reagon

Joseph (Kevin Klein) and Beth (Diane Keaton) have been married a long time and live in the suburbs of Denver. He is a busy spine surgeon who takes great pride in his dedication to his patients and their health. She is at a bit of a loss as to what to do with her life now that it's an empty nest.

"Having a dog is the closest some of us will ever come
to knowing the direct love of a mother, or God."
— Anne Lamott

While driving on the freeway with her daughter Grace (Elizabeth Moss), Beth spots an animal in the bushes. It turns out to be an abandoned and slightly injured dog. They take him to a vet, Sam (Jay Ali), who commends them for saving the mutt. During this visit, Grace is immediately attracted to this handsome young doctor. Beth takes the dog home and names him Freeway; the frisky mutt is eventually accepted by Joseph as a new member of the family.

"When it comes right down to it,
the secret of having it all is loving it all."
— Dr. Joyce Brothers

A year passes, and Sam and Grace are getting ready for their marriage at her family's lodge-style country cabin in the High Rockies. Once the honeymooners depart for Bora Bora; her parents gather with Joseph's sister Penny (Dianne Wiest) and her new lover Russell (Richard Jenkins) along with Penny's son Bryan (Mark Duplass) for more festivities. Russell and Penny surprise them all with news that they intend to start an Irish pub in the Midwest and they can all invest. Lingering in the background is Carmen (Ayelet Zurer), an exotic caretaker for the country cabins. She flirts with Bryan and gets his attention.

"The film is about the connection that sometimes
happens with a human being and a pet —
the love, friendship and solace that can pass
between the species."
— Lawrence Kasdan

As demonstrated by The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist, Grand Canyon, and his other films, director Lawrence Kasdan is a master at catching the intimate details in the lives of his characters. Darling Companions marks his return after a seven-year absence. The story has been co-written with his wife Meg based on their experiences of losing their dog in the Colorado mountains.

"We don't know what we've got until it's gone."
— Proverb

While taking Freeway for a walk in the woods, Joseph is talking on the phone and loses track of the dog when he chases after a deer. Beth is distraught at hearing the news and sees it as just another sign of her husband's obsession with work and lack of focus on his family. They have a fight in front of everyone, and Carmen tells Bryan that they are "out of alignment" with each other. She also lets them know that she is a gypsy and has a gift for seeing things. Carmen assures Beth that Freeway is still alive and wants desperately to return home.

"Marriage is one long conversation checkered by disputes."
— Robert Louis Stevenson

The party launches a multidimensional search for the missing dog with radio announcements, flyers, and the co-operation of the Sheriff (Sam Shepard). Following clues suggested by Carmen's psychic tips, they meet with several cranky locals. As the days go by, Beth loses hope that they will ever find Freeway and her criticism of Joseph intensifies when they are in the mountains during a storm. An accident draws them closer together as they struggle to regain what has been lost in their marriage. But the real miracle worker in Darling Companion is Freeway.

Special features on the DVD include a commentary with Lawrence and Meg Kasdan and Kevin Kline; Darling Companion: a Behind the Scenes featurette; a Behind the Scenes featurette: Lawrence Kasdan; a "Finding Freeway: Dog People" featurette; and "On the Red Carpet: New York Premiere feature."