Retired engineer Emmett Borden is emotionally drained as he drives away from his home in Mamaroneck, New York. As he heads west toward his childhood roots in Iowa, he just wants to escape from the surroundings that remind him of his beloved wife, who has just died from cancer. But Emmett is about to discover that life is full of surprises.

After an exhaustive day of driving, Emmett stops at a lodge to spend the night and strikes up a friendship with the lodge's owner. Edie Adamson shows him her grandfather's exotic artifact collection that includes a bizarre-looking spittoon made from an elephant's right foot. After the two exchange goodbyes, Emmett eventually makes his way to Keonah, Iowa, where he accepts a job as a handyman for Elmer Diehl's hardware store. A short time later, while Emmett is making repairs at an antique shop, he stumbles upon the elephant's missing left foot and is unexpectedly embroiled in the midst of what appears to be a robbery. Suddenly, Emmett's quiet life becomes one spontaneous adventure after the other.

In a small town surrounded by corn fields in Iowa, Emmett rediscovers love, friendship, and most importantly, his life's purpose.