Newlyweds John and Jenny Grogan leave behind snowy Michigan and move to Florida, where they buy their first home and find jobs at competing newspapers. Soon afterward, the Grogans adopt Marley, a yellow Labrador pup. But Marley soon grows up to be a mischievous handful. Still, even while he's destroying the furniture and failing obedience school, he always manages to bring out the best in John, Jenny and their growing family.