Lost in America

David is fired after insulting his boss when denied a promotion. He convinces Linda to quit her job as well and seek a new adventure. They vow to drop out of their bourgeois lifestyle and start traveling.

They liquidate assets and sell their house, cutting ties with suburban life. With about $145,000 in hand, they leave Los Angeles to roam the country in a Winnebago. The plan is to find freedom rather than stay tied to conventional success.

In Las Vegas, Linda bets away their savings at the Desert Inn and loses it all. David tries to recapture the money by pressuring the casino manager for a publicity gimmick. The couple's dream starts to crumble as they realize they have nothing left.

With no money and no plan, they quarrel at the Hoover Dam. Tension rises as the dream of freedom falls apart and the trip stalls. They realize the lifestyle change is more fragile than expected.

Linda sticks out her thumb and hitches a ride, continuing their road trip in hopes of salvage. The driver later causes David to get a bloody nose, escalating the couple's misfortune. The incident underscores how quickly their plan can unravel on the open road.

A motorcycle policeman accuses them of speeding on a country road and starts a tense stop. David and Linda defuse the situation by invoking movie references to Easy Rider and The Terminator. The exchange highlights the couple's stubborn optimism clashing with the real world.

The couple reaches the small town of Safford, Arizona. David tries for a delivery job at a local pharmacy but is rejected. He also visits an employment agency, hoping for something high-paying that doesn't exist there.

A counselor tells David there are no $100,000 high-paying jobs in the area. With few options, David accepts the best available position as a crossing guard. The job is far from their dream, signaling the first major compromise.

Linda starts as assistant manager at the Der Wienerschnitzel under a teenager. Her new role replaces the freedom they sought with a monotonous local job. She works while David adjusts to the new constraints of their temporary lifestyle.

A few days into their new routine, they live in a trailer park with dwindling funds. They juggle dead-end jobs and the pressure to return to their previous lifestyle. The mounting strain prompts them to reconsider the dream of dropping out.

The couple resolves to abandon the semi-shelter life and head back toward their old world in New York. David pleads with his former employer for his old job, seeking a backward compatibility. The Winnebago is steered toward New York with the aim of saving their finances and pride.

An end-card reveals David is rehired, but with a 31% pay cut and better medical benefits. The couple learns they are expecting their first child, adding a new dimension to their decisions. The return to work marks the end of their outlandish experiment and a new family chapter begins.