Upon his grandfather's death, a recovering gambling addict uses his inheritance to make a documentary about well-known onion rings from his childhood and the beloved Minnesotan chef who makes them. The project changes drastically when the filmmaker becomes hellbent on improving the humble fry cook's life, despite discovering his subject wants nothing to do with the film. The movie becomes something else entirely when the crew members secretly turn the cameras on the filmmaker, documenting his efforts and failures over a three year journey.