Bloomington, Minnesota, 1967: Jewish physics lecturer Larry Gopnik is a serious and a very put-upon man. His daughter is stealing from him to save up for a nose job,his pot-head son,who gets stoned at his own bar-mitzvah,only wants him round to fix the T.V. aerial and his useless brother Arthur is an unwelcome house guest. But both Arthur and Larry get turfed out into a motel when Larry's wife Judy,who wants a divorce, moves her lover,Sy, into the house and even after Sy's death in a car crash they are still there. With lawyers' bills mounting for his divorce, Arthur's criminal court appearances and a land feud with a neighbour Larry is tempted to take the bribe offered by a Korean student to give him an illegal exam pass mark. And the rabbis he visits for advice only dole out platitudes.Still God moves in mysterious - and not always pleasant - ways,as Larry and his family will find out.