Carl Neilson's life is centered around his college-aged son, Chester, who is home for the summer. At forty-seven years old, Carl is content with his thinning shoulder length hair, bushy sideburns and Hawaiian shirts, much to Chester's dismay. Chester sets up a blind date for his dad with artist Benjamin 'Ben' Brooker.
Their first meeting is a disaster. Carl is horrified by the flamboyant and very opinionated Ben — a man whose hair reminds him of a patriotic skunk with its red, white, and blue stripes — and who manages to call into question all the things about himself that Carl holds dear.
It takes Carl a while to admit that there are changes he needs to make, especially to stop using his son as a crutch. With the help of plain-speaking Ben, Carl gets a haircut — thank God — and takes a few fumbling steps toward something new.