In Nikolai Erdman's 1928 play, an unemployed man who fails to learn to play the tuba properly considers suicide, with his neighbor exploiting that suicide to several bidders who want to further their own agendas.

Rhonda, a big-haired bankteller from Brooklyn, encounters Travis, naked, suicidal and about to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Mistaking him for her perfect man, she stalks him all the way to Danton, Texas. Along the way she slowly comes to realize he is gay and is despondent over the AIDS-related death of his former lover. An alliance, and eventually true friendship, is formed between this extremely odd couple as they embark upon a 'treasure hunt' - with clues provided from beyond the grave.

Aviva is thirteen, awkward and sensitive. Her mother Joyce is warm and loving, as is her father, Steve, a regular guy who does have a fierce temper from time to time. The film revolves around her family, friends and neighbors.