After twenty years of broken bottles and empty hallways, Mort Gleason witnesses his nephew Moo being beaten while in a drunken stupor. This brings him back to what are left of his senses and he returns to the last home he remembers in Chicago.His sister Eileen lives in their family home now with her sixteen year old son, Abe, who dreams of a sailboat and distant horizons. However, she is unaware that her youngest son is planning his escape. Comfortable enough with Mort's presence, she spends a night away from home. This allows Abe to seize an opportunity to purchase a beaten-up wooden sailboat...