Hoping to earn extra money over the Thanksgiving weekend, Charlie Simms (Chris O'Donnell), a scholarship student at an exclusive prep school, agrees to look after blind, retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino). The innocent and reserved Simms is immediately thrown off-guard by Slade's bullying personality. Charlie is in for even more surprises when Slade takes off for a wild weekend in New York City that will change the lives of both men forever.