Clark (Chevy Chase) and Ellen Griswold (Beverly D'Angelo) decide to take their kids, Audrey (Dana Barron) and Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall), on a cross-country vacation to the Walley World theme park in Los Angeles.

Along the way, their road trip proves to be much more arduous than they ever anticipated when Clark is repeatedly distracted by a beautiful blonde (Christie Brinkley) in a red Ferrari and they become stranded in the desert.