When Tommy Callahan graduates triumphantly after seven years of college with a D+ average and returns to Sandusky, Ohio, to learn the family business, no one is prouder than his father, Big Tom--or more surprised than his hometown. Callahan Auto Parts is the lifeblood of the town, so when Big Tom takes a new bride, young Tommy finds himself confronted with buyout attempts and intrigue. It becomes clear that the only way to save the plant and the town rests squarely on Tommy's round shoulders. Hopelessly oafish, Tommy enlists the reluctant aid of Big Tom's former righthand man, Richard Hayden. Together, the two hit the road. And the road hits back.

Dim-witted but determined, Tommy Callahan sets out to save the family business from a pair of conniving con artists.