Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant follows the lives of the Tull family and recounts their experiences and hardships whilst centering around a dinner at the homesick restaurant which is only able to occur at the end of the novel.
At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to the Tull family: Pearl, her husband Beck, and her three children, Cody, Ezra, and Jenny. From the onset, we find out that Beck has deserted the family. Pearl attempts but fails to put up a facade of normality. This forms the context of the rest of the events in the novel.
As the novel progresses, we witness the growing up processes of the three children. Cody, the oldest of the lot, is a wild child and has a string of girlfriends. However, in spite of this, he is still jealous of his younger brother Ezra's soft personality. This tension eventually escalates when Ezra takes ownership of the titular "Homesick Restaurant" when Ezra becomes engaged to Ruth, one of the chefs at the restaurant. Cody's jealousy leads him to break up their union and marries Ruth out of spite. Their union, however, is not a happy one and it also ends up breaking Ezra, who begins to stay at home to look after the aging Pearl. Jenny, the youngest of the children, goes to college to become a pediatrician. However, she has a string of unsuccessful marriages. She is only able to settle down after her third marriage and pursue her career as a pediatrician.
Throughout the novel, Ezra constantly attempts to reunite the family through a meal at his restaurant. However, this never materializes until the end of the novel where Pearl passes on. Only then does Beck return to the town, where a heated argument ensues between Cody and Beck. However, Ezra manages to calm things down and the family is finally able to have a dinner at the "Homesick Restaurant" at the end of the novel.
