Questionably talented documentary filmmaker Angie hopes to save her failed career by turning her camera on the all-time low point in her longtime roommate Diane's desperate search for love. When Angie finds out that a customer service representative Diane met over the phone is driving across the country to be her boyfriend, Angie gleefully prepares the audience for a harrowing portrait of female desperation - all the while promising Diane she will be the star of a documentary on finding true love. However once Keith (the mysterious stranger from the Midwest) arrives, all three seem to be competing for the 'desperation' of the film's title!