Tess McGill is an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainous boss breaks a leg skiing, Tess takes over her office, her apartment and even her wardrobe. She creates a deal with a handsome investment banker that will either take her to the top, or finish her off for good.

A disillusioned young writer living in New York City turns to drugs and drinking to block out the memories of his dead mother and estranged wife.

Wiped out by a stock market crash, Sam Spencer suddenly finds himself broke and homeless in New York. When a friend offers him a job in California, Sam heads west the only way he can afford, hopping trains. Along the way, he befriends Enrique, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, and Enrique's canine companion who together introduce Sam to hobo culture.