Washed-up history professor Lewis Birch (Griffin Dunne) takes his begrudging teenagers on a road trip to a conference in hopes of jumpstarting his career and reconnecting with his kids. But, when Lewis's estranged father goes missing on a Lewis and Clark historical reenactment trek, they're forced to make a family detour. The Birch family find themselves on a journey of discovery and connection as they make their own passage across America.