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Frictions develop when Yisroel "Izzy" Jonigkeyt, a Chassidic Jew from Crown Heights, travels to San Francisco to visit Polish-born Catholic friend Marek Wisniewski with the intent of discovering why a Bay Area art-world iconoclast named Harry Kierk seeks to destroy a lifetime's worth of his own work. As the visit progresses, Izzy and Marek discover for the first time that complex historical baggage impinges on their curious friendship and, soon, they begin to understand why Kierk is driven towards destruction. Continued encounters with Marek's vaguely anti-Semitic cousin Irek (who is their only gateway to contact Kierk) only compound these tensions.

Jake Overstreet is a saxophone player who has reached a point in his life when he wants to start a family. The woman who he thinks is the love of his life makes porno films and is always away. He wanders the streets of San Francisco among the destitute contemplating his next move. As his sensitive inner life consumes him, the voice of his deceased mother consoles him. Jake begins to be managed by an ambitious Argentine woman who has opportunistic tendencies. As they work together to rebuild Jake's musical career, Jake falls deeper into despair. He loses commercial appeal and bad habits flourish. Will his music and ghosts from the beyond save him as he battles to stay loyal to his deeper senses amongst destructive modern forces?