Through the government's Nonni Program, a down-on-their-luck Italian family adopts what turns out to be the grandfather-from-hell in order to claim his inheritance when he dies.

SYNOPSIS:

When professional organ-grinder Enrico Spallini's beloved Capuchin monkey Pipo is killed in a tragic accident, the family loses its sole source of income. Between this catastrophe and poor financial planning, the Spallini family is broke.

His back against the wall, Enrico must do something fast or all is lost. Not that the rest of his family offers him any hope. His wife, Serena, possesses no marketable skills, and his two spoiled children, Lunetta and Mario, are equally devoid of anything to interest a potential employer.

Enrico's grandmother, Ottavia, is no prize, either. Penniless and with more of her fragile mind slipping away each day, the woman has become an unpleasant burden for one and all.

Desperate for money, with nowhere else to turn, Enrico enrolls his family in Italy's Nonni Program-a nationwide scheme allowing families to adopt nursing home patients in exchange for receiving the patient's inheritance when they die.

Due to the Nonni Program's popularity, Enrico's only choice for this unexpected adoption is Giuseppe Formaggio, a horrid old man who has already been adopted and rejected by three other families.

With Formaggio terminally ill, though, Enrico feels he and his family won't have long to wait before Formaggio is gone and their monetary woes are history. Which is how Giuseppe Formaggio comes to reside in the Spallini home.

Knowing he has Enrico's family behind the financial eight ball, Formaggio quickly asserts control over all of their activities. The Spallinis may reap the rewards once he is gone, but until then, Formaggio has no hesitation playing the role of the grandfather-from-hell to the hilt.

With Formaggio living under their roof, everyone is impacted by Formaggio's presence; even Enrico's love life...a fading memory of passions now denied him by his angry wife.

But with creditors everywhere hounding him, Enrico knows he and his family must endure Formaggio's whims if they are to survive.

Finally, the day the Spallinis have been praying for arrives as Formaggio's strength fades.

While Enrico transports a comatose Formaggio to the hospital, a much-relieved Serena makes arrangements for the cheapest funeral available.

Defying all odds, the terminally ill Formaggio still clings to life. One day later, Formaggio's doctor announces that Formaggio's illness has gone into full remission and he can easily expect to live for many years to come. The news is enough to make Serena scream.

Against a backdrop of comedic confrontation, by the time the situation resolves itself, Enrico and his family have learned some hard-earned lessons...all while watching their grandmother Ottavia regain her dignity in a touching turn of events that proves none of us ever know when a new chapter in our life is about to begin.