A Bosnian journalist visits America during the Bosnian ethnic cleansing and moves into a dirty Chicago apartment with a woman he once met and her on-and-off boyfriend. He takes on a series of humiliating jobs and tries to avoid thinking about the unknown fate of his parents.

A 36-year-old woman falls in love with her friend's 21-year-old brother, and she must choose between doing what she desires and doing what she thinks would be best for him.

Two men recovering from their alcoholism sit on a porch at a "drying out" facility. While one talks about his tumultuous marriage, the other begins to reframe his own wife and love affair.