Frank Clayton, having abandoned his wife (Rachel) and child (Sam), has for the last ten years been living exclusively for himself. Working hard, drinking hard and womanising, Frank looks after number one. He has little to no relationship with his teenage son and socialises almost exclusively with his misogynist boss (Bill).

Frank's son, Sam, has profound self-esteem problems. He grew up thinking that his father left because of him. He is about to fail his secondary school exams and, more importantly, he is having a very difficult time trying to talk to lovely Amy, the girl in his school who he loves. His mother (Rachel), as dedicated and loving as she can be, is struggling to offer him any real support. She reaches out to Frank for help, only to get his typically immature evasion. She has had enough... In conversation with some friends she discovers that some men change only when facing death. And although she is too good to harm Frank, she figures out a way of making Frank believe that he is very sick.

What follows is a comedy of a man who is doing his best to connect with his son before he dies. All the while he must battle to resist the temptations (seemingly lurking around every corner) that might send him crashing back to square one.