怀揣着成为艺术家的梦想,托德(威廉·阿瑟东 William Atherton 饰)来到了好莱坞,在这里,他成为了一名布景绘制员,并且解释了在旅馆里做会计的霍梅尔(唐纳德·萨瑟兰 Donald Sutherland 饰)。这两个男人之间脆弱的友谊很快就因为一个名叫菲耶(凯伦·布莱克 Karen Black 饰)的女人的出现而产生了裂痕。 菲耶渴望成为电影明星,但是苍白的现实让她不得不干起了应召女郎的勾当。菲耶的堕落让托德十分的愤怒,似乎是为了和托德对着干,菲耶选择了懦弱的霍梅尔,和他开始了同居的生活。虽然和霍梅尔住在了一起,但菲耶始终没有停止过在外面寻欢作乐。
比利因性格原因常常遭受霸凌。在他生父留下的一台旧相机中,他感受到失落与连接的复杂情感。比利的母亲已经再婚三次,并和现任丈夫移居到美国。后来,他年轻的妹妹不幸溺水,家庭因此被继父抛弃,不得不返回台湾。
一天,洗完澡后,比利低声对自己说:“我要坚强,”身边放着几瓶药。他坐在马桶上,挣扎于孤独和困惑,试图逃避痛苦的现实。
Billy often faces bullying due to his personality. In an old camera left to him by his biological father, he feels a complex mix of loss and connection. Billy’s mother has remarried three times and moved to the United States with her current husband. Later, after his younger sister tragically drowned, the family was abandoned by her stepfather and had to return to Taiwan.
One day, after taking a bath, Billy whispers to himself, “I need to be strong,” surrounded by several medicine jars. He sits on the toilet, struggling with feelings of loneliness and confusion, trying to escape his painful reality.