Aspiring screenwriter, Monkey Zetterland, lives with his mother, an aging soap star terrified of being written out of the show that has defined her life. Being a disappointment and an emotional crutch for her, she criticizes every aspect of Monkey’s life which is plagued with a colorful cast of characters. But when new tenants move into his building, the chaos escalates as the seemingly benign couple turn out to be bomb-toting political radicals.