Where the Heart Is

Stewart McBain builds a formidable reputation as a self-made demolitions expert, taking down buildings for a living. His skill brings him wealth, influence, and a public identity built on power and precision. He thrives on the control that comes with spectacular demolition work.

Protesters halt the last work on the Dutch House, stopping the demolition at the site. McBain then appears on a television program to dismiss the protests, but his blunt dismissal makes him look foolish. The blunder spoils his public image and foreshadows trouble at home.

Feeling humiliated by the TV moment, McBain kicks his three college-aged children out of the family home. He gives them $750 each to start anew and drops them off at the Dutch House, a place already in decline. The act creates a deep rift between father and children.

To finance their new lives, the siblings fill the house with new residents: Lionel the fashion designer, Shitty the homeless magician, Tom the stockbroker, and Sheryl the amateur occultist. The Dutch House becomes crowded and busy, but the money from the roommates helps them survive. Tensions and ambitions begin to mix with the old family dynamic.

Chloe is commissioned to finish a calendar for an insurance company. Lionel designs outfits for a fashion show, and Chloe and the roommates model in murals that adorn the walls of the Dutch House. The ethereal trompe l'oeil illusion brings art into the house and creates opportunities for Lionel’s show.

Tom’s actions contribute to a market crash that sends McBain’s stock plummeting. The demolition company faces a hostile takeover and cannot fend it off, erasing his fortune. McBain’s empire collapses in a blow that leaves him destitute and vulnerable.

Jean arrives at the Dutch House hysterical over losing their home, trying to support a family that is suddenly penniless. The financial ruin compounds the emotional strain as they confront life without their former wealth. The household’s status drops to destitution.

The group is evicted from the Dutch House by a homeless shelter after they have all helped Lionel with his dresses and Chloe with her calendar. The eviction forces them to abandon the property and reframe their sense of home. The Dutch House becomes only a memory as they lose their base.

McBain disappears into the city, feeling down and out. He sleeps in a cardboard box shanty town and scavenges the next day in the dump, living on the margins of a world he once ruled. The fall from grace is complete as he drifts away from his former life.

Sheryl locates McBain in the urban fringe, and his children bring him back into their lives. He begins to see the world differently, gaining a new sense of humility and connection. The family starts to reassemble around him, even if the old home is gone.

During a severe thunderstorm, Jimmy has an epiphany that they can use their father’s demolition skills in a new, constructive way. The moment occurs while the Dutch House is structurally unsound, reinforcing the idea that destruction can serve reconstruction. It changes how the family views their talents and future.

The family recovers their properties and wealth, but they choose to live more simply than before. The crisis teaches them about resilience, solidarity, and sharing burdens. They end the saga with a renewed sense of purpose and a closer bond.