In the northern United States, a nineteen-year-old soldier receives advice after reuniting with his seemingly apathetic magician father in a cold 20th century winter. As they each learn more about their relationship, father and son argue about their priorities in life and whether or not these obligations are worth more than family.

A man's birthday gift to his flamboyantly Russian Jewish father-in-law elicits both an unexpected reaction and a series of colorful, revelatory anecdotes.