Chris Lloyd (Matt Dillon) and his father Walter (Gene Hackman) are father and son who are at odds over some of the choices that Chris is making in his life. Chris feels that his parents, especially his father, are just a little boring and every day. However, the family are all close and when his mother, Donna (Gayle Hunnicutt) leaves for Europe they are together. When she is kidnapped, though, Walter insists on going to rescue her, and Chris is equally insistent on coming along to help. During the attempt to save his mother, Chris finds out that his father may not be quite so common after all.