As a hardware store manager with seven daughters and a wife, Morgan Gower craves escape and daydreams of who he could be in another life—a banjoist, a science-fiction author, a preacher, a riverboat gambler. With his family demanding he wake up from his midlife crisis and face reality, Morgan isn't sure he'll ever see any of those dreams come true. Then he meets newlyweds Emily and Leon, who are putting on a puppet show at a local fair, and is instantly enamored by their charm and creativity. They are full of the life he craves. But right after the performance, Emily goes into premature labor, and Morgan jumps at the chance to be a doctor for the day, regardless of the consequences. As Morgan learns more about the young couple, he dreads returning to his dreary life and discovers that the best dreams in life aren't those you wish for but those you make happen ... by any means necessary.