WUSA

A drifter named Rheinhardt arrives in New Orleans and checks into a shelter where a familiar name helps him recognize Farley, an old acquaintance running a scam as a preacher. Farley owes Rheinhardt money and pays part of the debt, revealing the tension beneath their reunion.

Rheinhardt goes to a bar and witnesses Geraldine being threatened by a pimp who suspects she is working on his turf. The intimidation underscores the danger and street-level violence surrounding her.

Rheinhardt and Geraldine move into cheap housing surrounded by hippies, starting a fragile domestic arrangement. The bohemian setting highlights the clash between their worlds and the instability of their lives.

Rheinhardt secures a job at the conservative talk radio station WUSA, whose white supremacist owner Bingamon uses the platform to spread nostalgia-filled propaganda. The broadcasts push a refrain of corruption and a return to better times.

While at WUSA, Rheinhardt reads reactionary editorials and socializes with hippie neighbors who detest the station’s message. The contrast deepens his internal conflict about his role and the political climate.

A neighbor named Rainey is hired to survey welfare recipients and relies on a wealthy fixer, Clotho, to guide him to beneficiaries. Clotho introduces him to several people who are exploiting the system.

Clotho secretly works for Bingamon, steering Rainey to uncover fraud that the station can weaponize in its editorials. The manipulative scheme shows how data can be cooked to fit a political agenda.

Bingamon hosts a hate rally designed to inflame the crowd and amplify bigoted rhetoric. The event becomes a volatile backdrop for the escalating violence and corruption surrounding the story.

Rainey attempts to assassinate Bingamon but shoots and kills another man instead. In the ensuing chaos, the crowd turns violent and beats him to death as he tries to flee.

Rheinhardt is ordered to the lectern to calm the crowd, but his speech only adds to the din and anger. The moment underscores his powerlessness and the breakdown of order at the rally.

Geraldine flees the rally but is arrested for marijuana possession. Threatened with years in jail, she hangs herself in her cell, a tragic consequence of the violence and desperation surrounding them.

Rheinhardt visits Geraldine’s grave and then leaves town as cynical as when he arrived. The journey ends with him carrying a deep disillusionment about the people and politics he encountered.