At the very end of the 1970s, post office worker Ed Saxberger wrote a book of poetry that nobody cared about. After an eager and flattering fan appears on his doorstep, Saxberger is beckoned into a coterie of young admirers who anoint him a rediscovered genius. The group of downtown bohemians is led by their "tragic heroine," Gloria. Intoxicated by the attention, and Gloria's alluring presence, Saxberger gradually reckons with the authenticity of his newfound poetic circle.

In the aftermath of a conspiracy-minded father’s sudden death, his daughter inherits his patent for an experimental healing device.

An Italian drifter strikes up a romance with an emotionally troubled young woman, whom works as a motel maid/laundress and stripper in a small coastal town in Georgia.