Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes), a journalist and poet who suffered from polio as a child and is now confined to an iron lung, continues to pursue his job despite his disability. Mark's interest is piqued when he is given a writing assignment about sex and people with disabilities; as a result, he chooses to research the potential of having sexual encounters for himself. After his advances toward a caregiver cause her to withdraw her interest, he schedules a meeting with sex surrogate Cheryl Green (played by Helen Hunt) in order to lose his virginity.