·         Against medical advice and without the knowledge of her husband Pat Solatano Sr., caring Dolores Solatano discharges her adult son, Pat Solatano Jr., from a Maryland mental health institution after his minimum eight-month court ordered stint. The condition of the release includes Pat Jr. moving back in with his parents in their Philadelphia home. Although Pat Jr.'s institutionalization was due to him beating up the lover of his wife Nikki, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Nikki has since left him and has received a restraining order against him. Although he is on medication (which he doesn't take because of the way it makes him feel) and has mandatory therapy sessions, Pat Jr. feels like he can manage on the outside solely by healthy living and looking for the "silver linings" in his life. His goals are to get his old job back as a substitute teacher, but more importantly reunite with Nikki. He finds there are certain instances where he doesn't cope well; however, no less so than some others who have never been institutionalized, such as his Philadelphia Eagles obsessed father who has resorted to being a bookie to earn a living, his best friend Ronnie who quietly seethes over the control wielded by his wife Veronica, and Veronica's widowed sister, Tiffany Maxwell, a girl with problems of her own. In their fragile mental states, Pat Jr. and Tiffany embark on a love/hate friendship based primarily on what help the other can provide in achieving their individual goals. But they may reevaluate their goals as their relationship progresses.

 

While in the clinic, Pat befriends Danny McDaniels, an easygoing man who is embroiled in a legal dispute with the clinic over whether or not he is eligible to leave. Pat's therapist, Cliff Patel, tries to convince him to keep taking his medication, as a repeat of his violent outbursts might send him back to the clinic.

Pat tells him that he has a new outlook on life: he attempts to see the good, or silver linings, in all that he experiences. Pat employs the phrase "Excelsior," or "ever upward," as his new optimistic mantra.^[10] Meanwhile, Pat experiences a series of anxiety attacks, including a violent reaction to Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, which he throws into the yard, destroying his bedroom window in the process.

Pat goes to dinner at his best friend Ronnie's house and meets Ronnie's sister-in-law, Tiffany Maxwell, a widow with an unnamed disorder. They connect, talking about different drugs they have taken to manage their mental illnesses. Sparks fly between them and she tries to offer him casual sex, but Pat is focused on getting Nikki back.

Trying to get closer to Pat, Tiffany offers to deliver a letter to Nikki—if, in return he partners with her in an upcoming dance competition. He agrees and they begin a rigorous practice regimen over the following weeks. When Danny comes to help, Pat starts to get jealous and shows Tiffany a bit of affection; however, he tries to push his feelings away. Pat believes the competition will be a good way to show Nikki he has changed.

The elder Patrizio, hoping to open his own restaurant, has resorted to illegal bookmaking. Having bet most of his money on a Philadelphia Eagles game, he asks Pat to attend for good-luck. Pat asks Tiffany for time off from practice to attend the game. She gives him a typed reply from Nikki, which cautiously hints they may be able to reconcile. Before entering the stadium, Pat and his brother Jake get in a fight with some racist fans, and are hauled away by the police. The Eagles lose the game and Patrizio is furious.

Tiffany points out that Philadelphia teams do better when she and Pat are together. Convinced, Patrizio makes a parlay with Randy: if the Eagles win their next game and Tiffany and Pat score 5 out of 10 in their dance competition, he will win back double the money he lost on the first bet. Pat is reluctant, and Tiffany, Dolores, and Patrizio conspire to persuade Pat to dance in the competition, telling him Nikki will be there; it is revealed that his parents have secretly supported Tiffany's attempts to befriend him. Pat notices that the letter from Nikki also refers to "reading the signs," realizing Tiffany wrote it.

Tiffany, Pat, and their friends and family arrive at the competition on the night of the football game. Tiffany despairs when she sees Nikki actually is in the audience, invited by Ronnie and his wife Veronica. They want Nikki to lift her restraining order on Pat and give him the chance to reconcile. Tiffany starts to drink heavily at the bar. Pat finds her moments before their dance and drags her onto the dance floor. They begin their routine as the Eagles defeat the Dallas Cowboys. At the conclusion of their set, Tiffany and Pat receive an average score of exactly 5.0 points, amid cheers from friends and family, and confused looks from the crowd.

Pat approaches Nikki and whispers into her ear. Tiffany sees this and runs off. Pat leaves Nikki and chases Tiffany. He hands her a letter, in which he admits that he knows she forged Nikki's letter and confesses that he loved her from the moment he met her, though it took him ages to realise it. They share a kiss. Patrizio opens a restaurant with the money he has won, Danny grows even closer to the Solitanos, and Pat and Tiffany begin a relationship, no longer wearing their wedding rings.