L.A. Without a Map

Barbara visits Bradford and has a fling with Richard. She returns home bragging about the handsome writer she met while away. Richard quietly heads to Hollywood without telling his fiancée Patterson, and Barbara is later shocked to see him in Los Angeles.

With the help of Moss, Richard secures an apartment and a job in Hollywood. He waits for Barbara to break up with Patterson while trying to build a life in a new city. The move sets up the tension between his ambitions and his longing for Barbara.

Barbara calls Richard and they meet at the beach, where she explains that staying with Patterson could protect her career. Richard protests with a vow of devotion, joking that he would go to the North Pole for her. The exchange leaves their relationship unresolved and loaded with pressure.

Richard takes Barbara to a club where Moss's band is playing. He introduces Moss to Barbara's waitress friend Julie, and the two quickly get along. The encounter complicates the social circle around their romance.

Barbara sees Patterson flirting with the Head Waitress at the restaurant and decides to leave him. The breakup clears the way for a possible reunion with Richard, though uncertainty remains. The moment reinforces Barbara's commitment to her own choices.

Richard, Barbara, Moss, and Julie spend the night on the road, a capricious journey that ends with Moss and Julie heading to a hotel together. Barbara then agrees to marry Moss, and the couple has a Las Vegas wedding. The impromptu ceremony contrasts with the earlier romantic turbulence.

Barbara arranges a meeting for Richard with Takowsky, a well-known screenwriting agent. Richard hands over his screenplay, Uzi Suicide, and returns home to work on more ideas. The professional breakthrough hints at a new direction for Richard's career.

Patterson offers Barbara a role in his next film on the condition that she have sex with him, and she agrees. The agreement culminates in Barbara separating from Richard as she reorients toward this new professional power. The dynamic shift strengthens the professional pull away from Richard.

Richard visits Barbara's restaurant and learns from Julie that Barbara no longer wishes to see him. He overhears that Barbara will be waiting tables at a party later, and is warned by the owner that if he can't win her back, he should kill her. The threat heightens the danger in their fraught relationship.

Richard obtains a drug to knock Barbara unconscious if he cannot persuade her to return. Moss accompanies him to the party, unaware of the danger. The plan introduces dark stakes into their already volatile relationship.

Moss helps Richard locate Barbara at the party, and a confrontation follows. After an argument, Richard attempts to use the drug, but Barbara counters by hitting him and knocking him to the ground. The attempted reconciliation collapses into a public blowup.

Richard spends the night in prison and is freed with Takowsky's help. The incident forces him to rethink his life as he returns to Bradford. Takowsky's intervention marks the start of a new professional path.

Richard returns to Bradford to find his funeral business kept afloat by a colleague. The steadying presence of Bradford provides a backdrop to his strained personal life. The return signals a potential stabilization after chaos.

Barbara brings Richard his screenplay Uzi Suicide back to share with Takowsky, who agrees to take Richard on as a client. The professional alliance broadens hope for his career. Barbara's initiative keeps them linked.

Barbara presents Richard with his first paycheck and the couple decide to patch up their relationship, starting afresh in Bradford. They aim to rebuild a life together that blends love with ambition. The ending frames a cautious but renewed future.