A vagabond family composed of Pop Kwimper (Arthur O'Connell); his good-natured but unsophisticated son, Toby (Elvis Presley); and various informally "adopted" children, including their babysitter, a nineteen-year-old named Holly Jones (Anne Helm), is traveling through Florida. Pop drives onto an as-yet-unopened section of a new highway. The car runs out of gas and the Kwimpers intend to wait until a government vehicle passes by to help them out. In the meantime, they set up a temporary camp. After a time, the first vehicle to come by belongs to state highway commissioner H. Arthur King, who is appalled that the Kwimpers' presence on the pristine highway might negatively impact its dedication ceremony that day featuring the governor of Florida. King tries to have the Kwimpers forcibly removed, but when the governor himself arrives in advance of the ceremony, Pop informs him that they are invoking the state's homesteading laws and plan to live near the highway permanently. The governor applauds the Kwimpers' pioneering spirit and tells the police to respect "private property." King, who considers the Kwimpers to be a huge nuisance, leaves angrily and vows to return. Holly tells Toby she is thrilled by the prospect of homesteading because she's never had a real permanent home. A chance encounter with an avid fisherman (Herbert Rudley) gives Holly an idea. With the help of a $2,000 bank loan, they build a thriving business catering to sports fishermen.