A financial publisher, Chris Thorne, takes a road trip from New York to Atlantic City along with a client, Diane Lightson, and a pair of Brazilian siblings. Hoping to impress Diane, Chris decides to take a scenic detour through the decrepit village of Valkenvania. However, their adventure quickly turns sour when they unwittingly commit a minor traffic infringement, drawing the attention of Valkenvania's bizarre and decrepit law enforcement.

Detained and brought before the 106-year-old Justice of the Peace, Alvin Valkenheiser, the group finds themselves entangled in the surreal and nightmarish legal system of the dilapidated town. They are subjected to a kangaroo court presided over by the eccentric and decrepit judge, who has his own peculiar way of dealing with transgressors. With the realization that escaping Valkenvania will be far from straightforward, their initial minor infraction spirals into a desperate struggle for freedom against the town's twisted judicial process and its oddball inhabitants.