Bill Gordon boards a red-eye flight to L. A. after receiving a frantic phone call from his Nice Beth Ann Fletcher. A commuter flight returning to LA from Las Vegas crashes in the mountains with no survivors, including Beth Ann's parents. Since Bill is related through marriage only and Beth Ann has no other living relatives, California is going to place her in foster care. She and Bill love each other and want to be together, but the DHF refuses because he is not blood-related, so the battle begins between Bill and a seemingly heartless Bureaucracy.
