Amelia (Catherine Keener) and Laura (Anne Heche) are childhood best friends. Amelia is left feeling vulnerable when Laura and her boyfriend Frank (Todd Field) get engaged. She begins to date Bill (Kevin Corrigan), the local clerk at the video rental store she frequents. Though she initially is off put by his looks and his obsession with scifi and horror films she begins to grow attracted to him when she learns he is working on a screenplay about the life of Colette. The two have sex, however while Amelia is in the bathroom she receives a call from Laura asking how her date was with "the ugly guy". Hurt after hearing this Bill abruptly leaves.