Dave Percell (William Hurt) is in the middle of a midlife crisis-- his wife has taken a job in another state, his restaurant, the Auk, is on the verge of closing, and he's faced with the certainty that his life is about to go downhill fast. With nothing left to lose, he follows the advice of his eccentric friend Phonce who hatches a scheme to convince people that the Auk contains a rare type of duck. Soon the once-doomed restaurant is full of patrons from every corner of the world, but the attention of some unsavory characters may take the Auk off the map for good.