布莱恩(布莱德利·库珀 Bradley Cooper 饰)是一名军火承包商,年纪轻轻的他便在行业内闯出了一片属于自己的天地,攀登上了事业的最高峰。某日,他被上司派往夏威夷火奴鲁鲁军事基地,那里正在进行一项间谍卫星的开发和研制,需要布莱恩的监督,布莱恩兴致勃勃的踏上了旅途。 让布莱恩没有想到的是,在目的地,等待着他要和他一同共事,是一位名叫艾莉森(艾玛·斯通 Emma Stone 饰)的女飞行员,艾莉森冷若冰霜而又不苟言笑,着实是一个严肃而又无趣的女人,这令布莱恩感到十分郁闷,与此同时,布莱恩对前女友崔西(瑞秋·麦克亚当斯 Rachel McAdams 饰)依然抱有着不切实际的幻想,他联系到了崔西,企图和她破镜重圆。
At Christine's funeral, her foster son suddenly shows up, a grown-up man with whom the family has been out of contact for quite some time. He brought a letter, stating that Christine wants to be buried in Wentelen, to the bewilderment of her biological children, and even more so to that of her husband. In addition to that, all the relatives are surprised that the foster son of Christine apparently maintained a correspondence with Christine. Nevertheless, Christine's last wish is respected, and they decided to bury her in Wentelen, and wish to do so traditionally, meaning walking behind the hearse. During a walk of several days, all the relatives (foster sisters, foster father, alleged friends and real ones, the foster son, lovers) have enough time to get to know each other better. Because in the end they have no other conclusion than that nobody really knew anyone. Old intrigues are dug up, the foster sisters finally learn why the foster brother just disappeared from the family, and they can begin to develop a real image of the mother. Once Christine's final resting place is reached and she is buried, all family ties, good and bad, are shaken around.