With just four days left before the bar exam, the completely unprepared law intern, Rick Robinson, is presented with a unique chance to impress his boss, Maxwell McAllister. Despite his better judgment, Rick agrees to a favor that spirals out of control. He finds himself embarking on a challenging cross-country road trip in a dilapidated U-Haul, loaded with all of Mr. McAllister's belongings. The situation worsens as Rick is tasked with looking after his boss’s demanding niece, Michelle, and her rambunctious pet pig.
The journey from Miami to Los Angeles is fraught with misadventures. The truck breaks down on a narrow road in the heart of the South, leading to a night where Rick’s clothes are incinerated by a local family. Later, another breakdown knocks him unconscious, but he is saved by an eccentric hitchhiker named Orlie, who assists in securing accommodation for Rick and Michelle. Grateful for his rescue, Rick allows Orlie to join them, but this decision sets off a series of hilarious twists as Michelle develops a rapport with Orlie, turning the trip into a comedy of errors at Rick's expense.
After a bizarre encounter orchestrated by Orlie at a fast-food restroom leads Rick to his breaking point, he attempts to cut ties with him. However, as he and Michelle bond deeper following a stop at a picturesque beach in Texas, Rick makes the risky choice to let her take the wheel due to exhaustion. When he wakes, they have been rerouted to Wichita, Kansas—Rick's hometown—where he faces a painful reunion with his mentally ill father, an encounter that leaves both him and Michelle visibly shaken. As their relationship grows, the young couple share their pasts and vulnerabilities.
Their travels take them to Colorado, where empty gas tanks force them to rely on Orlie again, this time hitching a ride. However, their luck turns when their U-Haul and Michelle's pig are stolen by thugs working for a local crime lord known as "The Lady" (Billy Drago). To reclaim the truck, Rick and Orlie must engage in a brutal cage match, where their unexpected performance earns the admiration of their captor. Upon entering Utah, Orlie believes he has had a profound experience linked to a near-death moment in his life, prompting him to leave Rick and Michelle to continue alone.
As the deadline for the bar exam looms closer, Rick becomes increasingly skeptical of Michelle's belief that their connection is something extraordinary. He decides to drive straight to Los Angeles, ultimately arriving at Mr. McAllister’s beach property in Malibu, where he learns that he is late but Mr. McAllister appears unconcerned. In a desperate rush to catch his flight back to Miami, Rick leaves a sleeping Michelle in the truck, setting off a chain of reflective moments.
At the airport, it suddenly dawns on Rick—this is a grave mistake. He notices all the Polaroid memories Michelle captured during their journey and realizes that she is meant for him. In a panic, he escapes the airport and returns to Malibu, where he professes his feelings for Michelle. Mr. McAllister, having heard similar sentiments from Michelle, expresses his gratitude for Rick's return and entrusts him with her care, adding that his law firm plans to open a branch in Los Angeles.
The movie concludes with a heartfelt reunion between Rick and Michelle on the sandy beach, while in a completely different state, Orlie is approached by a stranger, hinting at further adventures.
