Hank Chinaski sends his poems and stories to literary magazines, which always reject his work. To pay for his modest accommodation and his addiction to alcohol, he takes odd jobs as a laborer, doorman or taxi driver. His main goal was never to earn money to live in luxury; what he likes is to bet on the racetrack, to be able to love two women (Jan and Laura) as fond of alcohol as he is, to observe the little things and, above all, to write. When Jan leaves him for another man, Hank receives an unexpected call from a prestigious literary magazine. (FILMAFFINITY)