Plot
Newly elected to Congress, former television news reporter Evan Baxter leaves his hometown of Buffalo, New York and moves to Prestige Crest, located in the fictional town of Huntsville, Virginia, where his congressional campaign declares that he will change the world. Evan prays to God to give him this opportunity. His wife, Joan, also prays that she, Evan, and their three sons will be closer together as a family.
On his first day in Congress, Evan introduces himself to his staffers and then given the opportunity to join his greedy boss, Congressman Chuck Long, to co-sponsor his Citizens' Integration of Public Lands Act (CINPLAN) bill. Over the next few days, strange events occur in Evan's life:
Eight vacant lots in Prestige Crest are purchased under his name
Ancient tools and gopher wood are delivered to his house that he did not order
A man claiming to be God suddenly appears wherever he goes, causing him to faint during the Pledge of Allegiance
Pairs of animals start following him around everywhere he goes, with birds breaching into his office through the window
His hair and beard grow uncontrollably regardless of how many times he shaves
The number 614 starts appearing in various forms throughout his daily routines
Evan realizes the number actually refers to verse 14 in chapter 6 of the Book of Genesis, where God instructed Noah to build an ark in preparation for a coming flood. God appears to Evan and asks him to build an ark because a flood is coming. Though initially hesitating, Evan starts building the ark on the vacant lots by using the tools and materials provided, giving him an opportunity to spend more time with his sons, but Joan sees this as a midlife crisis.
While Evan still maintains his career in Congress, his changing appearance alienates his staffers because of God and the animals who stalk him become more disturbing. God provides Evan an ancient robe and warns him that the flood will come by mid-day on the 22nd of September. This forces Long to fire Evan from Congress after he tries to explain his mission and warns the other congressmen about the impending flood. Joan falsely believes that Evan has gone insane and takes her sons to live with her own mother, leaving Evan himself to continue building the ark alone. Meanwhile, God disguises himself as a waiter at the restaurant, where he tells Joan that she should see this as an opportunity for the entire family to be closer. Joan understands God's meaning and decides to return to Evan to help him finish building the ark together to prepare for the flood.
On September 22, Evan's three staffers uncover evidence that Long has turned Prestige Crest over to private investors by damming off a nearby water source, but he had cut corners in building the dam. They suspect Long would do the same with his Public Lands Act bill. With the ark finally complete, the animals board two by two and the police threaten to demolish the ark with a wrecking ball as it violates land codes in Prestige Crest. When only a small amount of rain falls, Evan realizes that the flood would be the result of Long's dam failing. When the dam actually fails, the entire community manages to board the ark and all the houses of Prestige Crest are destroyed. The ark then rides the floodwaters into Washington, D.C. by travelling through the National Mall until it reaches its final destination in front of the Capitol, which interrupts the vote for Long's Public Lands Act bill. Evan confronts Long on his accountability for the cost-cutting that lead up to the dam's failure, inciting the other congressmen to turn against him.
The voting for the Public Lands Act bill is suspended due to an investigation of Long's profiteering behavior. Evan is reinstated to Congress and all the animals return to their natural habitats. With his appearance returned back to normal at the end of the film, Evan re-encounters God during a family hike in the remote mountains. God states that Evan had successfully changed his world by growing closer to his family because the key to changing the world is a single Act of Random Kindness (ARK). During the film's closing credits, God issues a new commandment to the outgoing audience: "Thou shalt do the dance", which is followed by the film's cast and crew members dancing to the C+C Music Factory song "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)".
