Caleb Powell always wanted to become an artist, but he overcommitted to life, whereas his former professor, David Shields, always wanted to become a human being, but he overcommitted to art. Shields and Powell spend four days together at a cabin in the Cascade Mountains, talking about everything they can think of in the name of exploring and debating their central question (life and/or art?): marriage, family, sports, sex, happiness, drugs, death, betrayal --- and, of course, writers and writing.