Joel Garcia (Eric Stoltz) is a writer injured in a hiking accident. He is left with a broken neck and paralyzed from the waist down. While in rehab, he meets Raymond (Wesley Snipes), a smooth-talking ladies man, and Bloss (William Forsythe), an angry, racist biker. Together, they struggle through the physical and emotional problems stemming from their handicaps. Joel also has to deal with his tumultuous relationship with Anna (Helen Hunt), a woman with whom he had an affair before the accident.