In A Man's Gotta Do, Eddy (John Howard), lives with his wife, Yvonne (Rebecca Frith), and their daughter, Chantelle (Alyssa McClelland), in a new suburb in the Illawarra part, south of Sydney.
Eddy is a fisherman by day, but by night he works as a standover man, literally a toe-cutter.
Chantelle is upset because her fiancé, Rudi, a Russian air conditioning specialist, has disappeared.
The frustrated Yvonne begins flirting with Paul, the plumber, (Rohan Nichol).
Eddy encourages Dominic to read his daughter's diary thinking that's the way to get a better understanding of her needs.