Japanese siblings Rintaro and Atsuko are visiting the U.S. for the first time. They are headed for San Francisco when their rental car breaks down in the California desert town of Littlerock. Despite the cultural and language barriers, they soon fall in with a group of aimless young locals, including an awkward outcast named Cory who is clearly taken with Atsuko. She finds a fumbling romance with another boy instead, even though the two cannot communicate with one another. Atsuko is seduced by this foreign place and wants to stay for awhile. Her brother Rintaro is soured by what he detects as its darker side. Despite all of this, Rintaro continues on as his sister is determined to embrace California as the storied refuge from troubles.