Self-absorbed 15-year-old David (Geller) has yet to come to terms with his father Josh's (Callis) death and frequently talks to his ghost. He and his younger brother (Johnson) are upset when their mother Henny (Stubbs) decides to move them in with her divorced boyfriend Mark (Calf). To complicate the situation further, Mark's ex-wife Deirdre (Arquette), a self-help author, lives around the corner with the couple's two daughters. Since Deirdre has just written a book about stepfamilies, she decides they should all practice what she's preached.