El oscarizado director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) lleva a la gran pantalla la hilarante y sincera historia de una joven pareja a punto de embarcarse en el viaje más fascinante, aterrador y extraño de todos los viajes: empezar una familia y sentar la cabeza.
Cuando Burt y Verona descubren que están a punto de tener un niño, sufren una crisis de pánico. No soportan el pueblo donde viven, y ahora que los padres de Burt se mudan de allí, pierden el sistema de apoyo con el que contaban. Deciden emprender un viaje en busca del sitio ideal para echar raíces y criar un niño. De paso, visitan a una serie de parientes y amigos. Algunos son absolutos excéntricos, otros son conmovedores, pero todos ayudarán a Burt y a Verona a encontrar su destino. Acabarán por descubrir que para crear un hogar, sólo se necesitan el uno al otro.

Mid-thirtysomethings Burt Farlander and Verona De Tessant are a loving couple. Burt has always wanted to marry Verona, but Verona resists, not seeing the point of the institution. Regardless, they are having a baby together, despite questioning their potential parenting abilities. They are happy that they made the decision to move close to Burt's parents, Jerry and Gloria Farlander, as they want to share the experience with the baby's grandparents. Verona's own parents died over ten years earlier, a situation about which she doesn't like to discuss. In Verona's sixth month, she and Burt learn that Jerry and Gloria are moving to Antwerpen, Belgium the month before the baby is due, just because it's something they've always wanted to do. Burt and Verona don't understand what they see as Jerry and Gloria's selfishness in putting this move above spending time with their impending granddaughter. Being mobile people, Burt and Verona decide to move. As they want to share their new family experience with people that they love, they decide to take a trans-continental trip to meet with old friends and relatives. Most of them are married with children of their own, and Burt and Verona want to see where they would like to live and with whom they want to share the experience.