Thrown for a loop by the unexpected news that dad has suddenly gone to his reward, the grieving Scanlan clan are drawn together in a test of familial endurance that soon has them at each other's throats. As the eldest son, Johnny is tactlessly reminded that he's probably the next to go; daughter Terry is the black sheep who hasn't told anyone that the marriage they all warned her against has broken up; thick-headed but nice looking younger son Frank no longer has his father to cover for him; and Nora comes home after going off to a cloistered convent and becoming a liberated nun who now runs an underground railroad for illegal aliens. Jack's sudden departure has thrown everyone off kilter, but he finally did one thing to bring the family together -- he passed away.