Sal takes in the West Coast vistas while riding the bus to San Francisco. Upon entering the metropolis, he searches for his old pal Remi Boncoeur, who is now residing in a makeshift home in Mill City. Sal tells us that he and Remi met in prep school, and that Remi introduced him to the lady he would later marry and divorce.

Remi resides in a dilapidated area close to some abandoned barracks. Sal breaks into Remi's cabin through a window and discovers his pal in bed with Lee Ann. Remi is overjoyed to meet Sal and his joy is contagious. But Lee Ann is not enjoying herself at all. Sal learns that Remi and Lee Ann constantly bicker throughout the week and then blow their paychecks on weekend shenanigans. Sal moves into the shed and attempts to write, but he does not produce anything.

Remi eventually secures a position for Sal at the police station where he works as a special police officer. Temporary construction workers who are en route to jobs abroad stay at the barracks. Sal's duty is to maintain order in the often chaotic barracks by acting as a guard. Sal, on the other hand, finds it far simpler to make friends among the workers than to enforce discipline. After a few drinks with them one night, he stays up till morning. As part of his work the following morning, he must raise the American flag, but he is so groggy that he accidentally hangs it upside down.

Sal's senior partner cops jump right on the case. They are a terrible bunch that takes pleasure in bullying the temporary workers. Sal's attitude is off-putting to them. Sledge, a hard-nosed police officer, forces Sal to accompany him one night when he breaks up a party. Sal tries to convince Sledge to let him speak to the men, but Sledge is having none of it. He directs the workers and afterwards takes them into custody. The men are worried that they might be laid off. Sal despises having to deal with this.

Remi is constantly plotting methods to steal from the barracks while on the clock. He justifies his greed by telling himself that "the world owes me a few things," so he will grab anything he can get. Sal discovers Remi smuggling a large package of food from the barracks kitchen one night. He assists Remi in returning the package to their shack.

Sal, Remi, and Lee Ann hire a boat one afternoon and paddle out to an abandoned freighter in the harbor. They board the ship and begin searching through its empty hold. Sal is thinking that he would enjoy spending the night on the boat because he loves the sound of the waves and the ship's creaks. Remi dares Sal to sleep on the boat, but Sal never takes the challenge. After that, they all head to the racecourse to place their wagers. They have to hitch a ride back to town after spending all their money.

Lee Ann's dissatisfaction with life with Remi deepens over time. She tells Remi she wants to leave him because she believes he is to responsible for her problems. Remi wants to take her out for one more time before he leaves town to meet his stepfather. At a restaurant, Sal, Remi, and Lee Ann meet Roland Major while having dinner with Remi's stepfather. Roland causes a commotion, spoiling everyone's meal. As time passes, Sal begins to feel guilty about what transpired.

Sal knows it is time to start fresh again. Before leaving, he climbs a nearby mountain and...