Matty Quinn disappears, and his ex-boyfriend Harry is determined to find out the truth about his absence. Quinn has just returned from a teaching job at a school in Ethiopia when he grows sick. He has an infection that takes the form of viral arthritis. When no doctors can diagnose or cure Quinn, he grows addicted to painkillers. Soon his addiction runs him bankrupt. He lives in the basement of a friend's apartment in Minneapolis.  Quinn sees Black Bird, a local drug dealer who has access to the painkiller Quinn needs to feel better. Quinn realizes that he does not have the money and refuses to ask Harry for a loan. He has a terrible hallucination as the pain increases, and thinks he attacked an innocent man for drug money.  Once he obtains the drugs, Quinn disappears, and Harry starts to look for him. He travels from Seattle to Minneapolis and hunts down Black Bird, whose real name turns out to be Horace Blackburn. Eventually, Harry finds Quinn entirely delirious on a park bench. Harry takes Quinn to a hotel and checks him into rehab. He beats Blackburn bloody in an alley outside of the bar. Once Quinn is in recovery, Harry brings him to Seattle to start a new life. Although they are no longer boyfriends, both men are happy.