In the early 1940s, a New York playwright moves to Hollywood, having been offered a lucrative contract with a major film studio. Primarily concerned with writing high-minded plays for the common man, he is initially enthusiastic but quickly finds himself suffering from writer's block and struggling to create a screenplay for a wrestling picture. Checked into a dilapidated Los Angeles hotel, his enthusiasm wanes as he becomes increasingly disconnected from the showbiz world and overwhelmed by the isolation and eerie atmosphere of his surroundings.

As he grapples with his creative paralysis, he befriends an affable insurance salesman who lives next door and provides some company. Despite these efforts, he plummets further into paranoia and distress as unsettling events unfold around him. His interactions with various characters, including a charming Southern novelist and a menacing studio executive, only deepen his existential crisis. The film takes a darker turn as reality and delusion blur, questioning the price of artistic integrity versus commercial success.