Jacques (Brian Cox), New York'ta uzun yıllar ayakta kalmayı başarmış ve herbiri ayrı bir cins olan ve mütemadiyen içki içen müşterilerine çalışkan bir barı ayakta tutmaya çalışmaktadır. Kendini sigara ve alkole veren ve ölümüne içen Jacques tesadüf eseri evsiz ve hayattan çoktan vazgeçmiş olan Lucas (Dano) ile tanışır. İhtiyar adam beşinci kalp krizini de geçirince, artık günlerinin sayılı olduğunu düşünmeye başlayarak, barı devralması için Lucas'ı yetiştirmeye karar verir.

Short-tempered bartender Jacques (Brian Cox) has a heart-attack. Young homeless man Lucas (Paul Dano) fails in a suicide attempt. They share a room in the hospital. They agree that Lucas can stay in the bar, and that Jacques will coach him to become his successor. In the beginning Jacques complains that Lucas is too soft toward guests. Lucas allows April (Isild Le Besco) to stay in his room, but Jacques tells Lucas that he should send her away. However, Lucas and April get married and both leave. Reluctantly Jacques allows April to come back, because he finds it important that the bar will stay after his retirement or death, and therefore that intended successor Lucas stays. Lucas is jealous about April's interaction with guests, and they break up. Jacques gets softer and Lucas less so. Lucas is killed after being hit by a car. His heart goes to Jacques, who has been waiting for a donor for a heart transplant. Although he always refused to sell his bar, he does so now, and starts living in the tropics, where he has friends who supplied the coffee for his bar.