When Los Angeles journalist, Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), befriends Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a homeless Julliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the newspaper he works for, Lopez's good intentions run headlong into the hard realities of the strength of Ayers' personal demons and the larger social injustices facing the homeless. Regardless, Lopez and Ayers must find a way to conquer their deepest anxieties and frustrations to hope for a brighter future for both of them.