Set in 1969, Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is a young artist, studying at the University of Maine. He becomes obsessed with death, and believing he is losing his girlfriend, Jessica (Christensen), he tries to commit suicide on his birthday. His friends surprise him, and he cuts himself, which sends him to the hospital. He eventually recovers and decides to accompany them to a John Lennon concert. Before leaving he receives news that his only living relative, his mother, Jean (Hershey), is in the hospital because of a stroke and is near death. Alan decides to hitchhike to reach the hospital before she dies. On his way there, he has multiple strange encounters with the living and dead. The film ends when Alan, now in his 40's, tells the audience that his mother died of a heart attack while watching television. He married his girlfriend Jessica, but it only lasted four years. Alan never made it as an artist, but he does go to the theme park every summer in memory of his mother. While walking from the park, a person who looks like his friend George Staub offers him a ride, but he refuses. He tells him to "take your button and get outta here".