Towards the end of the 1960's, Larry Gopnik, a physics professor in a small Mid-West town, is going through hard times: his wife wants a divorce to live with the pontificating Sy Ableman, his antisocial brother has settled into his living room, his daughter steals from his wallet to finance a nose job while his son, still a few weeks to go before his bar-mitzvah, struggles with his Jewish school's discipline rules. To add to the mess that has become his life, a student tries to bribe him for a better grade while his sculptural neighbour distracts him by sunbathing in the nude, a few meters from his house. Struggling desperately to find equilibrium, Larry decides to consult three rabbis. Ethan and Joel Coen hit again by directing a personal comedy inspired by their childhood, in which farce and drama brilliantly cohabit.