During Christmas, Steph Stool's family dog falls ill, forcing her to return to her Australian hometown. She must deal with family chaos while there, abandoning her holiday plans.
A dermatologist in Sydney, Steph has been in therapy for the past year due to the stress associated with dealing with her dysfunctional family in the suburbs who know nothing about her feelings regarding that dysfunction. They include her separated parents Jodie and John, who nonetheless still live together, and her "white trash" Aunt Ros, Uncle Angus, and their young adult daughter Shayla, all living across the street from Steph's parents and Shayla who Steph believes is involved in a Ponzi scheme selling fake eyelashes. Steph has not told them that she plans to spend this Christmas with her live-in boyfriend Seb and his well-off family in the city. But a few days before Christmas, Steph is summoned home to the burbs upon news that their beloved ten year old family dog, Nugget, may be on his deathbed. She arrives home to see with her own eyes that Nugget's possible imminent demise is vastly exaggerated, which angers her even more, but she stays to deal with the vet, Dr. Ella Lander, just in case. Steph's stay with her parents gets extended time and time again, largely to do with Nugget, but she not only doesn't tell her parents that Seb is not coming at all, his imminent arrival which they all assume, but that she will be leaving to spend Christmas with him in the city once Nugget is in the clear, she planning on making up a lie to explain her departure when the time comes. She also is in constant communication with Seb about her delay, he seemingly concerned more about what his mother thinks than about Steph and Nugget. The longer Steph spends with her family and with caring Dr. Lander, she may come to a better understanding of all her relationships and the real cause of the stress associated with her family.—Huggo
In Australia, three days before Christmas, Steph, a dermatologist, does not want to spend the holiday with her family. They are annoying. Instead, she wants to spend the holiday with her boyfriend Seb (short for Sebastian) and his family. Seb sells furniture for a living.
Steph visits her therapist and talks about the problems she is having.
When Steph calls her family to say she is not coming, her mother tricks her into coming home by saying first that her beloved dog Nugget has died, then she corrects herself and says the dog is in bad shape.
Steph has to go home now, but before she does, she talks about her family to Seb and Seb's mom Josephine. Her parents are separated but still live in the same house. Her uncle and aunt, Angus and Ros, live across the street. They have a daughter Shayla who does women's lashes, always seems to wear exercise clothes that show off her midriff, and is engaged to Hassan.
When Steph's father John picks her up from the station, her grandmother is in the van criticizing everything and everyone. John wonders why Steph doesn't have a lot of luggage, but she won't admit that she intends to go straight back to Seb when she finds out more about the dog.
The family welcomes Steph and she is told she will be staying in the caravan, which Americans would call a camper. Steph calls Seb to update him on her plans and Seb tells her she really needs to come join the family.
Nugget is taken to the vet, who is new and pretty. It is mentioned that Steph is bi and the vet is a lesbian. However, this does not mean much as Seb is still with Steph and he is coming to be with the family. The vet examines Nugget and says the dog needs monitoring.
There is some secret being kept from Steph to make sure she stays, as her mother tells Steph's brother Randy.
Shayla does Steph's lashes.
The next morning, Steph wakes up with a bad reaction in one eye. Randy gives her an eye patch he used when dressing like a pirate.
The family thinks Seb has arrived but it is only Randy's "special friend" Leon, an artist. Randy met Leon online. He is invited to stay with the family, as Leon's family does not celebrate Christmas.
Steph contacts Seb, who is concerned not about Nugget but about whether Steph will ever join the family. Although only Josephine is shown, the family is having a good time.
The whole family goes to the vet in two separate vehicles, annoying as usual. Once there, only Steph is allowed to talk to the vet because of her medical knowledge. At this point, there is romantic potential between them, even though Seb's behavior has not reached the point of causing a breakup. Nugget's white blood count is way down and it is important to find out why. It could be serious. A blood transfusion will help. Biscuit, a large dog, is volunteered to be the donor. To find out what is going on, Nugget gets a camera put inside which will eventually exit, so the dog must be monitored so the camera can be found and the results studied. If the problem is cancer, it will be expensive to treat. Also, the vet will be closed for the holiday but she gives Steph her number in case there is a reason to contact her.
Steph keeps trying to contact Seb, who is not responding. She later calls her therapist crying after a big argument with the family. He tells her he has his own life which he needs to live, and her crisis is not an emergency that justifies Steph calling him at home.
Leon volunteers to help financially when he learns Nugget's care could be expensive. Randy helped him set up a web site and never paid him. The family suspects Randy and Leon are a couple, but it is later revealed Randy is not gay and does not feel "that way" about Leon.
The next morning no camera has been found even though Nugget has been taken out twice. Once Nugget was taken to the beach, and it is possible the camera was missed, so the whole family goes to search the beach. The vet joins.
Steph sees porn on her mother's phone. So does her grandmother who is senile and doesn't recognize Steph, but does dislike porn.
Shayla is about to ask Steph to be her maid of honor but Steph thinks she wants something else and gets angry. This upsets Shayla.
The family eventually gets in a major argument. Steph admits Seb is not coming and it appears they have broken up. Steph also admits having lent Seb A$6000 to start his furniture business. Shayla and Hassan decide they need to go confront Seb if he has cheated Steph out of that much money. Steph goes along.
When they arrive at Seb's family's house, it is quite large. Why would someone with that much money need Steph to give him a loan? Josephine answers the door and is annoyed by the way Steph's cousin and her fiance treat her. Steph finally gets to talk with Seb. Josephine is surprised about Steph giving him money, but he said he wanted to make it on his own. Josephine writes a check to repay Steph, and Steph and the others return home.
On Christmas Day, Steph wakes up and goes inside the house to see the family looking very sad, even though many of them are wearing matching holiday pajamas. Nugget has died. Steph protests that she found the camera and now they can find out what is wrong. But the visit to the vet is not for that reason. The family will be given Nugget's ashes.
There is a funeral in the back yard and everyone is dressed in black. John digs a hole but he is more upset than anyone else in the family.
After the funeral, the family eat and for the first time, everyone appears to be getting along. Seb arrives after spending a lot on am Uber but it is too late to save the relationship. The vet is there and when she and Steph are alone, they kiss.
