An architect George Monroe(Kevin Kline), who has had a lifelong ambition to achieve one of the great American Dreams: to build his own home, a refuge set on a cliff at the edge of the sea. But it's a dream that George has put off again and again while he's sunk lower and lower -ending up divorced, overworked and estranged not only from friends and family, but from himself.

Now George has hit rock bottom and there's nowhere left to go...except out onto the edge. At first, his plans seem wild-eyed and crazy. His cul-de-sac neighbors despise his sagging, dilapidated shack. His teen-aged son(Hayden Christensen) would rather stare into space and pop pills than raise a finger to help him. His ex-wife(Kristin Scott Thomas), who once shared his house and his dream, is now emotionally distant from him. Local city officials want to sabotage his plans. It seems there is no one left with any faith in him.

But George is determined to build this house- even if it means refurbishing his entire life. He begins the project alone, but soon attracts a disparate group of people- from the next-door neighbor's sexy young daughter to his ex-wife's kids from a new marriage- to his scheme. What begibs as a way for George to redeem his own bruised dreams turns into something much bigger than he ever imagined- and something far stronger than just a shelter.