Dispossessed couple Tad and Penelope have fallen on hard times. Beneath the thin veneer of their marriage lies a rotting core of regret, frustration, and contempt. When Tad's mother unexpectedly dies and Tad comes into possession of his family home, he believes it will be the key to solving everything. But what awaits them in that house is not salvation. What awaits them is the final push that will finally send them toppling over that razor-thin edge into true despair.

For burger-joint employee Tammy, a bad day keeps getting worse. She wrecks her car, loses her job, and finds that her husband has been unfaithful. It's time to hit the road, but without money or transportation, Tammy's options are limited. Her only choice is a road trip with her hard-drinking grandmother Pearl, who has a car, cash, and an itch to see Niagara Falls. It's not the escape Tammy had in mind, but it may be what she needs.

Based on the syndicated comic strip of the same name, "Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet" is the story of a beautiful, blond genius who finds controlling her near super human abilities with computers is harder than she thinks.

Filmmaker Ross McElwee trails characters whose stories have been fodder for television news and takes their tales of loss and longing further than the requisite sound bite. In the process, he examines how the medium works and exposes its limitations.