Cody, the eldest brother aged ten, stings with jealousy because he and his younger brother Teddy, aged eight, are the only kids in class without a father whom they've never known. The year is 1967, and Cody loses hope he'll ever have one again-as his divorced mother and Playboy Bunny, Lisa, relishes her single lifestyle and the sexual freedom that comes with it.
Served with charges as "an unfit mother" by the State of California Dept. of Social Services during a surprise visit by a social worker the morning after Lisa hosts a hedonistic Halloween Party-she loses custody of her two boys to her god-fearing parents and avoids jail time under certain conditions.
If Lisa successfully completes psychiatric treatment and drug therapy, which she does-and receives her parent's blessing as well-she regains custody of her boys. Certain of that, Lisa sets out to claim them on Christmas Eve at her parents' house where the boys are staying. But, everything goes wrong when a violent disagreement about the boys' custody ensues-and Lisa flees into the night without her boys-and goes missing, violating her court order.
Caught between two worlds-the boys must choose between them. After five-months have passed, without a sign of their mother, Lisa unexpectedly shows up at their church school. Against their better instincts, Cody and Teddy decide with their hearts and allow Lisa to kidnap them from school where they escape without being apprehended.
Undaunted, the grandparents hire Lisa's ex, the boy's father, to find them after Sean concludes his final tour in Vietnam as an Army Ranger tracker. Once he's made aware of the situation, Sean is determined to locate his boys and bring Lisa to justice for kidnapping them. Lisa, aware of the consequences, hitchhikes with her boys from San Diego to Miami to escape capture and hides Sean's identify from them so they won't try to be captured.
Unaware the detective is their father, the boys assist their mom, mile after mile on their hitch-hiking journey from San Diego to Miami, successfully avoiding every attempt at apprehension along the way.
Upon reaching their final destination in the Bahamas, Lisa falls in love with a debonair casino operator named Roger. With his wish about to come true, Cody's dream of having a father again, is foiled by foul play, a hurricane, and sunken treasure. Or, is it?
