Welcome to the tragedy-of-the-month club! In one nine-month period, Mark Millhone's youngest son nearly dies from birth complications, his oldest son is injured in a household accident, his father is diagnosed with prostate cancer, and his mother has a heart attack and passes away. In the aftermath of this year-from-hell, his marriage also begins to fray.

He deals with this as only a "real man" could: he logs on to eBay and bids on his dream car. The like-new BMW becomes more than a car for Millhone—it's almost a prayer to the patron saint of used cars and second chances to make his family like new again. Joined by his estranged dad, he embarks on a dysfunctional family road trip to pick up the car—a comedy of errors that gives Millhone life-affirming perspectives on how to navigate the road of life's bumpy patches.