Harry Crumb (John Candy) comes from a family of famous private investigators. Unfortunately with his bumbling skills and behavior, he is shunned by his family for almost a decade. The family firm in for which Crumb works has fallen into the hands of a conniving boss Eliot Draisen (Jeffrey Jones) who assigns Crumb to a case he doesn't expect him to solve. The case is one of a missing daughter of a millionaire which keeps Crumb occupied while Eliot tries to romance the millionaires wife (Annie Potts). Using a wide selection of disguises, Crumb uses his unique skills and style to try and crack the case and prove to everyone that he is worthy of his families legacy.