After 17-year-old misfit Jones Dillon drops out of college on his first day, he moves into an old apartment building where he soon becomes entangled in the lives of his kooky new neighbors, including a temperamental photographer and a self-absorbed aspiring actress. When he's not busy flirting with the ladies or learning to live on his own, would-be writer Jones divides his time between fending off queries from his alcoholic mother, penning letters to an absentee father, and indulging in an overactive fantasy life. An auto accident forces a reality check, however, nudging Jones to grow up and decide what he really wants.