Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy.

A salesman faces a crisis as he's about to lose his job, struggles with bills, and feels disrespected by his sons, who haven't lived up to their potential. He reflects on where things went wrong and how to fix his family.

During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.

An estranged family gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father.