Many years ago, when Ray Drecker (played by Thomas Jane) was in high school, he was a promising and lovable athlete. Now, he has reached middle age and has achieved nothing. He works as a high school teacher and basketball coach in a school, with meager pay, low status, and no insurance. What makes him most disappointed is that his wife (played by Anne Heche), who has lived with him for 20 years, actually left him and married her dermatologist with mysophobia. To make matters worse, the house inherited by Ray from his parents was destroyed by a fire because of disrepair, and the twin children who had been living with him had to move to their mother's house. Ray, who was lonely, helpless, and extremely unlucky, fell into a low mood and had to attend a local "self-help class" to relieve his boredom. The purpose of this class is to find out the potential and "advantages" that can make everyone successful in their careers. There, Ray meets Tanya (Jane Adams), an ordinary woman who should have been a poet but missed the chance to succeed due to a trick of fate. Ray suddenly feels that "what else do I want in life". With the help of Tanya, Ray is determined to make good use of his strengths and completely change his life with his own hands.