A Seattle history professor, drawn back to his estranged family on the Oregon coast to execute his late mother's estate, is reacquainted with his best friend from childhood, with whom he has a long-awaited tryst. Caught in an accelerating series of events, he discovers aspects of his father's New Age cult which take on a dangerous and apocalyptic significance.

Z, a Seattle bicycle cop, tries to make sense of the world while patrolling the city streets but can't focus on his job because he's so preoccupied with suspicions that his girlfriend is cheating on him.