A dishwasher in a Greenwich Village coffeehouse, Alex Andero (Michael Parducci) loves the movies. He's a big fan of action star Jagger Stevens (Hoyt Richards) and often calls his annoyed uncle in Hollywood to pitch him screenwriting ideas. Alex's script has Jagger discovering a smuggling ring in the fashion industry, then taking out the terrorists in a hail of gunfire and falling bodies, with a gorgeous model at his side. Suddenly, beyond his wildest dreams, Alex gets his shot, but the studio needs writing samples and Alex has never written more than a couple of sentences on a napkin or menu. He begins taking a screenwriting classes, where shy Gwen (Judy Prescott) offers to help. A different kind of help soon arrives through Elliot (Peter Jacobsen), a self-effacing gay playwright who leaves his script at the coffeehouse for waiter Joey (Kerr Smith), a pretty boy with whom Elliot is infatuated. Alex offers to get him a date with Joey if Elliot will help him with his own screenplay, and when Alex comes through on his end of the deal, they begin. Through the ups and downs of several months of life and love, the screenplay and their friendship blossom, and both characters learn to trust the artist within.