Big-city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family.

Fred Z. Randall is a geeky spacecraft designer who gets the chance to make his dream come true and travel to Mars.

The film contrasts two views of role that the federal government should play in our daily lives using the words and actions of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.