When an unemployed Detroit man is arrested for a crime he didn't commit, his three children are determined to get him out of jail in time for Christmas and they decide to enlist the help of "the most powerful man in the world" - President Hoover. En route to the White House, they meet an array of colorful characters.
Arkansas furniture maker Grins Jenkins is a loving father to his five kids, as well as the life of every party in their small town. When his wife Sharon, who used to be the 'bad cop', slowly dies of TB, so does Grins' sense of fun. The kids refuse to keep mourning forever, but Grins turns his back on the world and can't believe the kids are enjoying life again. Then Christmastime arrives and son Alvin refuses to let his siblings' dreams be spoiled.
Just after he turns 16, Robert finds out that he is adopted, and his parents find to their horror that he was kidnapped from his real parents. They decide to tell him about this, although they fear that they might lose him. Robert runs away to find his real parents. He finds and gets close to them without revealing his true identity. Eventually, he must decide where he belongs.
