Sol Severson is successful in every observable way, living with his wife and daughter in an exclusive Chicago suburb. But inwardly, Sol is an empty soul, cut off from any relationship with his family of origin and merely going through the motions with others.

After a tragedy sends him reeling, Sol embarks on a mission to explore his roots and resolve long-repressed questions about the father he barely knew. Much like his boyhood hero, Huckleberry Finn, Sol's journey leads him to an adventure on the Mississippi River. In the end, by looking for his father, Sol discovers himself.