Michael Newman is an architect who is consistently bullied by his overbearing boss, John Ammer, and often chooses work over his wife Donna and his two children, Ben and Samantha. One night, Michael visits the retail store Bed Bath & Beyond to buy a universal remote control because he keeps owning too many remotes. After an unsuccessful search for a new universal remote control, he stumbles around various departments before falling asleep. Upon waking, he accepts a free remote control from a man named Morty, but when he gives it to Michael, he warns him that it is not returnable.

Michael learns that the remote can be used to control reality much like a television. He uses it to his advantage at work, to cause light-hearted mischief, and to fast-forward past illnesses. Morty tells Michael that during these times, his body is on “auto-pilot”, going through the motions of everyday life while his mind skips ahead.

After thinking that Ammer has promoted him to a partnership, Michael buys bicycles for his children and a Kate Spade purse for Donna. However, Ammer tells him that he has not yet been promoted, so he cannot afford the gifts and must return them immediately. Disappointed that he made his family upset, Michael uses the remote to skip ahead his promotion, thus missing out a year of his life. During this time, he and Donna started to have marriage counseling, his children are getting older, and the family dog has died. The remote, having learned his preferences, begins to time-skip automatically. Every time Michael tries to discard or destroy the remote, it keeps on reappearing. He later tells Morty to return it where it belongs, but Morty refuses to take it back because it cannot be returned.

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