The relationship among a divorced man, his incurably ill teenage son, and his long-estranged father is explored when the youngster joins his dad for one final summer vacation and they end up at the grandfather's vineyard where he reconciles the two older men.
A man determined to impress his son--and show up his son's stepfather--decides to try to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by setting a record for staying the longest time on roller skates.
Charlie Bartlett is a retired railroad worker whose dream of crossing the country in a hot air balloon is encouraged by his grandson Morris O'Neill, who decides to go along for the ride despite the misgivings of his widowed mother whose plans to remarry have left him disenchanted.