Strait-laced marketing executive Neal Page is eager to return to his family in Chicago for Thanksgiving after wrapping up business in New York City. However, his journey immediately turns chaotic when he's inadvertently entwined with boisterous, talkative, and well-meaning shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith. Their initial meeting is rocky, and despite Neal's attempts to travel alone, circumstances keep bringing the ill-matched pair together. After missing his initial flight due to Del's interference, Neal grudgingly accepts his fate and decides to team up with Del in the hopes of making it home by any means necessary.

The duo's trip back to Chicago turns into a disastrous adventure as they face numerous obstacles and modes of transportation. From a flight rerouted to Wichita, Kansas, due to a blizzard, to sleeping in a run-down motel room with limited funds, each setback brings new challenges to the already frazzled Neal. The tension between the two men grows, fueled by their differing personalities and Neal's increasing frustration with the outlandish situations Del seems to attract. In their struggle to reach Chicago, they encounter humorous misadventures involving trains, automobiles, and not a single plane. As the holiday deadline looms, the pair must rely on their resourcefulness and each other to navigate the unforeseeable twists and turns of holiday travel.