A saxophonist, Fred (Bill Pullman) is found guilty of murdering his wife (Patricia Arquette). Once in prison, he morphs into someone else, Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty), who is released because he is no longer the condemned man. An incomparable car mechanic, Pete meets an Arquette look-alike, girlfriend of local porn producer Mr. Eddy (Robert Loggia). Together they seek out a cabin in the desert that had dwelled in Fred's nightmares. Over the course of the story, the two male characters begin to converge. Bridging the two “realities” is The Mystery Man played by Robert Blake in Kabuki-like white face.