The teenaged son of two rich Portland hipsters, Lennon, recalls the circumstances that led him to "the hotel" the first time. After his older sister, Harmony, killed herself, his mother moves into a teepee in their backyard, his father becomes spaced out, and his music becomes darker. He breaks up with his girlfriend because he says she doesn't understand his music. He decides to drop out of school junior year, three weeks before summer break. He buys a car and cleans out his bank account. He bids goodbye to his parents and gets a credit card from his dad for emergencies. Then he goes on a roadtrip through Oregon, sleeping in his car and getting high. He makes it to California and then Nevada where he busks in the park for a few days and makes a few friends that let him crash on their couch in exchange for weed. Eventually, he heads back towards LA until he comes upon a mysterious hotel with a sign that says "Welcome to California" even though he passed the state line hours ago. He checks into the hotel and meets a woman who tells him to fill out a registration form, warning him once it's filled out he will be in their database permanently. Finding his room feels like entering a different dimension; all the rooms seem to be numbered 420. A beautiful woman named Candy appears out of thin air and takes him to his windowless room, 428. She knows Lennon's name without him telling her and warns him away from Tiffany and Mercedes because he's a beginner. Candy invites him to a feast in the lobby. At the feast, he meets several beautiful women and men. Candy tells Lennon those are just the faces they want him to see. When he notes that there aren't any ugly people there, she offers that there's plenty of ugly underneath. Lennon is introduced to a music producer named Ron, who encourages him to play with the band to see what he's got. Lennon plays for him, and Ron asks to see him in private. Ron tells him he'd like to sign him but he needs a few more auditions. Lennon agrees and then Tiffany and several other guests have an orgy with Lennon, though Lennon tries to avoid Tiffany and Mercedes. Lennon continues to audition for Ron the next night. Ron coerces him into sex by telling him he can make or break Lennon's career. Lennon keeps playing with the band, doing drugs and having sex with the hotel guests. He maxes out his father's credit card and spends all his checks on the hotel. He eventually has sex with Tiffany who is insatiable, never letting him eat or sleep. Tiffany takes over his mind, until one night when he's contemplating selling his guitar and after that his car to pay for the hotel. The guitar reminds him of his car and the highway on which he first drove to the hotel. He comes out of his fog, remembering his family, and he hears his sister's voice. She tells him it isn't so hard to die and since he's close already, he can just let go. The image of his sister in her casket jolts him up and he rushes downstairs, yelling at the Night Man that he needs to check out. The Night Man tells him to relax because he can check out at any time. Lennon runs into the revolving door but it keeps going in a never-ending circle, until it finally spits him back out in the lobby. The Night Man welcomes him back and asks if he has any luggage. Lennon tells him no: he wants to check out. The Night Man says he did and he can check out any time he wants, but he can never leave.