Set in 1969 in a vacation town in upstate New York, where Abel Shaddick is an embittered Jewish deli owner. At a local country club party, his intoxicated nephew Stanley signs up to sponsor a child from Harlem as part of a program in which underprivileged children spend two weeks with a local family

Set in 1969 in a vacation town in upstate New York, where Abel Shaddick is an embittered Jewish deli owner. At a local country club party, his intoxicated nephew Stanley signs up to sponsor a child from Harlem as part of a program in which underprivileged children spend two weeks with a local family. When nine-year-old African-American Herman is selected as the youth, Stanley takes off for a job interview, leaving his uncle to deal with the boy. Resistant at first, Shaddick is won over by the boy's tough demeanor. As he attempts to show the disillusioned youth an enjoyable time, the pair ultimately find new hope through their unlikely friendship and unwittingly embark on a course that helps each of them come to terms with life's twists and turns.