Bud Wyler goes to live in Hollywood after his life falls apart. The city of Hollywood is not where movies are made. It's a dilapidated section of a sprawling metropolis, home to street people and other derelicts. Bud finds a job at the Chinese Theatre, meets Rita Scott, an aspiring young actress, and finds lodging with Mad Dog, a drug dealer and part time hustler. Building a new life from scratch, Bud finds solace in helping panhandlers on the street, then tries to help Rita find a life beyond the pointless auditions that occupy her time. But the dream has too deep a hold on her, and she turns to Mad Dog for drugs and comfort. Goaded by Lana, a transvestite in a wheelchair, Bud works through his grief and finds a direction for his life, even as Rita and Mad Dog are destroyed by their fantasies. Told in an evocative style full of allusions to old movies and dead stars, Hollywood Nights is the story of three sad people, and the one who made it out.