Harassed and overworked air-traffic controller Jack Chester (John Candy) badly needs a vacation and takes his family away to holiday on a beach. But almost from the moment they arrive, things start to go wrong and the supposedly restful trip turns into a nightmare every bit as stressful as Jack's job. The combined talents of John Candy and Carl Reiner should have ensured a better end product than this thin comedy which, despite some good moments, fails to fully exploit its promising premise.

Jack Chester, an overworked air traffic controller, takes his family on vacation to the beach. Things immediately start to go wrong for the Chesters, and steadily get worse. Jack ends up in a feud with a local yachtsman, and has to race him to regain his pride and family's respect.