Ducks just don't have a lot of personality (unless they're the cartoon kind) so the story of a man and his feathered friend starts at a disadvantage. Aged Arthur (Hall) is homeless in L.A. without family or friends when an orphaned duck starts waddling after him. Arthur decides that he and Joe will head towards the ocean (shouldn't he just find a nice pond?) and as they meander along, they run into the usual assortment of oddballs.