In 1933, in a small Midwestern town, Charley and Nettie Appleby sit on the front porch together, miles apart in thought. While Nettie worries whether their daughter Leonora should go to college in the fall or remain at home, where she is being courted by two suitors, the benignly neglectful Charley is more concerned about his hardware store than the daily life of his family. When Nettie spots a shooting star that seems to point toward him, Charley shows little interest, but their grammar school-aged sons, Willie and Rupert, suggest that she make a wish. Nettie’s wish that the family attend the World’s Fair in Chicago is immediately rejected by Charley, who says it is a waste of time and money and that the country is in a depression. Later, when Charley overhears the boys complain to each other that all he knows is work, he hides his hurt feelings. The next day, Charley narrowly evades two potentially serious accidents and after he escapes a third one, a dapper angel wearing spats and a bowler hat appears to him, announcing that he has been sent to deliver Charley to the “other side.” Charley balks, wanting more time to live, but the angel, whose earthly name was Roy Zerny, unsympathetically accuses Charley of misusing the time he had. However, because Charley is still alive, Roy admits he needs further instructions as to the time and place of his demise and disappears. Moved by the angel’s words, Charley uncharacteristically takes a bouquet of flowers to Nettie, who then wonders if he has been drinking when he admires the sunset. At dinner, Charley offers to take the family to a movie, but Leonora has a date and the boys have already been invited to the movies by their friend’s family. After Nettie leaves to play bridge, Charley remains with their dog Jigs, regretting the opportunities he missed sharing with his family. The next day, he arranges for a handyman, Pete, to carry out home repairs he has procrastinated in finishing. When Roy informs him that he is possibly worth salvaging and has been granted a little more time, Charley tries to withdraw money to take the family to the fair, but discovers that the bank has closed due to an economic crash. At home, fearing he will not be around to guide them, Charley suggests to Willie and Rupert that they are not too young to look for ways to earn money and, during the conversation, learns that the boys are planning a special Father’s Day treat for their friend’s father, who has shared his time and taught them many things. When one of Leonora’s suitors, Derwood Moseby, calls on his daughter, Charley is impressed that he will inherit his family’s monument company and later tries to dissuade her other suitor, Ray Ferris, who Leonora prefers, because of his lack of financial prospects. That night, Charley falls asleep writing his will, and is awakened in the wee hours by Leonora and Ray, who have been dancing at Sadie’s roadhouse. Soon after, Willie and Rupert take a job earning ten cents an hour at the salvage yard run by Felix, unaware of his gangster connections. When Chicago rumrunner Buggs is unable to deliver liquor to Sadie’s without alerting the police, he asks to stash his cache at the junkyard, but Felix is nervous about having contraband on his property. Instead, Felix offers the boys extra money to deliver the liquor, which he claims is cooking oil, and loads them in a barely running jalopy from the junkyard. Willie, who has had driving instruction from his friend’s father, steers the old car, while Rupert works the pedals for him, and they maneuver haphazardly, almost hitting Charley’s eccentric customer, Miss Partridge, along the way. When they return to the junkyard after successfully carrying out their task, Felix lavishly pays them each five dollars. At home, they present the money to Nettie, but Charley realizes uneasily that the amount is too much for a normal day’s work. Roy, who has had a change of heart about Charley, mentions that he has spoken up on his behalf and expects a decision soon. Although no one can see or hear the angel except Charley, Nettie has overheard Charley talking to him several times and insists he visit Dr. Sprague. Charley tells Sprague about the angel, but cannot convince him of Roy’s existence. At the junkyard, Felix sends the boys on other deliveries, but Buggs informs him that the big boss has decided to have gangster Frankie Zuto take over. When Charley hears that Leonora again went dancing with Ray, he proceeds to the roadhouse, but his intention to “find a certain girl” is misinterpreted by Sadie, who sends a young woman to his table. During a raid, the police arrest everyone, including Charley, whose photograph appears on the front page of the newspaper the next morning. At breakfast time, the boys discover a note from Leonora explaining that she has eloped with Ray. After a local policeman informs Charley that the description of children delivering liquor for bootleggers matches that of his sons, Charley assures him that is impossible. However, when Miss Partridge visits, indignant that the boys almost ran over her, he proceeds to the junkyard. Meanwhile, upon arriving in town, Zuto shoots at a policeman, instigating a full-fledged search for him. Buggs and Zuto then order the boys to drive them out of town and knock out Felix when he protests it is too dangerous a job for children. With the gangsters hiding in the back of the jalopy, the boys drive erratically through town evading police blockades. After Charley learns from the recuperating Felix about their abduction, he jumps into the nearest car, which happens to be Zuto’s, and chases after them. During a wild chase, Zuto shoots at him, Charley is knocked unconscious and Roy takes over the steering wheel, until the police recognize Zuto’s car and shoot out the tires, causing the car to run off the road. They arrest Charley and, while he is in jail, Roy brings more bad news: this evening is to be his last. Realizing they cannot escape town, Zuto and Buggs hide out in the Appleby house, holding Willie hostage in Leonora’s vacant room, while Rupert is sent to distract Nettie. After Charley convinces authorities that the gangsters have kidnapped his boys, he is released. Shortly after he gets home, Ray and Leonora also return and the gangsters confront them. Holding the family at gunpoint, Zuto announces they are leaving, taking Nettie hostage. Charley tries to intervene, but Zuto shoots him point blank, yet he mysteriously remains unharmed. Pete’s unexpected appearance at their door provides enough distraction that Charley and the rest of the family are able, after a lively struggle, to overtake the gangsters. Just then, Rupert, who slipped out a window, arrives with the police, who take the gangsters away. Although he has gained his sons’ admiration and a $5,000 reward, Charley is saddened to recall that he has an appointment with the angel. After a last, heartfelt conversation with Nettie, Charley meets with Roy, who shows him the bullet that was meant to kill him. Roy explains that Charley has been given a reprieve and, like everyone else, will not know when his time is up, but he now has learned how to live. Soon after, Ray and Leonora run the store, while Charley, Nettie and the boys drive to Chicago. Flying alongside the car is Roy, who is looking out for them.