Earl Pilcher Jr.| runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas| lives with his wife and kids and parents| and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies| leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son| but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth; plus| he has a half brother Ray| in Chicago| she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip| initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son| Virgil. His birth mother's sister| Aunt T.| an aged and blind matriarch| takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.