Matt King, a wealthy Hawaiian real estate lawyer, sits at his wife Elizabeth's bedside in the hospital. The couple has barely spoken to each other in months and they can't speak at all now: Elizabeth lies in a coma following a tragic waterskiing accident. Meanwhile, Matt's youngest daughter, 10-year-old Scottie, has emotional problems and lashes out by sending vulgar text messages to a female classmate. Also, Matt must soon make a controversial decision whether or not to sell a large plot of land on the island of Kaua'i that his family has owned for generations. The poorer members of Matt's extended family are pressuring him to sell the land immediately to a developer. As Elizabeth's condition deteriorates, Matt is forced to have her taken off of life support. Before the plug is pulled, though, he brings home his teenage daughter Alexandra, who has been living at a boarding school for troubled girls. Although Matt spares Scottie the severity of the situation, when Alexandra hears that her mother is about to die she drops the bombshell that Elizabeth had been having an affair with a strange man. Devastated by the news, Matt runs to the nearby home of Kai and Mark, Elizabeth's best friends, to pry more information out of them. Kai initially refuses to talk about the affair. However, after Matt tells her Elizabeth is going to die, Kai exclaims that Elizabeth was deeply in love with this other man and was going to ask Matt for a divorce. From Mark, Matt learns the other man's name: Brian Speer. Back home, Alexandra insists to her father that Sid, a teenage male friend, come with them when they visit Elizabeth's parents, Scott and Alice. At his in-laws', Matt is berated by the crusty Scott, who also yells at his eldest granddaughter, for treating Elizabeth badly. Alice, however, is suffering from Alzheimer's and doesn't understand what's going on. When Alice thinks she's going to visit Queen Elizabeth, Sid bursts out laughing and Scott punches him in the face. On the ride home, Alexandra coerces Matt to drive by Speer's home, where she saw her mother with her lover. While the house provides no clues to Speer's identity, Alexandra spots the man's face on a real estate sign elsewhere in the neighborhood. At home, Matt calls the phone number on the sign under the pretense that he's interested in a house, but all he gets is an answering machine. The next day, Matt unleashes all of his fury on the unconscious Elizabeth. When Alexandra is equally cruel to her mother, Matt spanks her and forces her to say something nice. Then, while they're keeping Elizabeth company, Speer's office returns Matt's call. Alexandra answers, pretending to be her dad's assistant. She learns that Speer is away on Kaua'i for business. Later, at the house, Matt tells all of Elizabeth's friends that they should go visit her over the next few days before the plug is pulled. Privately, Matt comes up with the controversial plan to tell Speer as well. Alexandra is opposed to the plan, but ultimately suggests that she, Scottie and Sid accompany Matt on his mad crusade. At the Kaua'i airport, Matt, Sid and the girls run into Matt's cousin Ralph who takes them to the massive piece of land that the King estate owns. The cousins discuss how the land belongs to a family trust that is going to dissolve in seven years if Matt refuses to sell now. But, if he sells now, all the Kings will make a fortune. Once settled into their hotel, Matt has difficulty tracking down Speer on the island. Worse, he has even more difficulty getting his kids to show any respect toward his authority. The girls curse like crazy and discuss inappropriate sexual topics in front of him. Surprisingly, Sid shows off his sensitive side and reveals that his own father recently died in a drunk driving accident. While jogging on the beach the next morning, Matt runs right by Speer, whom he follows to his vacation cottage, which he is sharing with his wife, Julie, and two young sons. Later, Matt makes small talk with Julie on the same beach, pretending he doesn't know who Brian is. At a restaurant, Matt runs into his older cousin, Hugh, who actually owns the cottage that the Speers are renting. Hugh provides the shocking news that Brian Speer is the brother-in-law of the exact same developer whom Matt has been thinking of selling the family land to. So, if Matt sells out to this particular developer, then Speer will make a mint on real estate commissions. When Matt expresses hesitation at selling the land at all, Hugh is flabbergasted. Walking back to the hotel, Alexandra convinces Matt to stop at the Speers' cabin to confront Brian. While Julie gets drinks for the Kings, Matt bluntly tells Brian that Elizabeth is going to die in a few days and that he should go visit her. Then, stealing some extra minutes alone, Matt forces Brian to come clean. Brian explains that he was never in love with Elizabeth and that getting mixed up with the land deal was just a big coincidence. Then, just when he's about to leave for the night, Matt gives Julie a surprise, passionate kiss. Upon returning to the hospital, a child therapist finally breaks the news about pulling the plug on Elizabeth to Scottie. Alice, Scott and Elizabeth's brother Barry also make their final visit. Scott again berates Matt for treating Elizabeth badly, but Sid and Alexandra both proudly stand up for Matt. The next day, Matt has a meeting with all of his cousins to vote on the land sale. Via secret ballot, the majority agrees to sell to the developer. But, it's Matt who has the last word and he refuses to sell to anyone. He decides to keep the land and figure out how to keep it past the remaining seven years on the trust. As Matt, his daughters and Sid wait for Elizabeth to finally pass on, Julie Speer makes a surprise visit to the hospital with a huge bouquet of flowers. The kids leave the room so Julie can divulge to Matt that she knows everything that happened. Brian refuses to visit and Julie tells the unconscious Elizabeth that she forgives her, although her tears and angry tone belie her words. After Julie leaves, Matt gives Elizabeth a final kiss and says goodbye. Then, it's Scottie and Alexandra's turn to say goodbye privately. After their mother expires, the Kings spread her ashes in the Pacific Ocean from a canoe. At home, Matt sits on the couch with his daughters eating ice cream and watching March of the Penguins .