- Lovelorn graduate Daniel Willingham (Josh Peck) heads into the post-college abyss without a dime or connection to search for his place in the story he has longed to be a part of.
- Upon graduating college, a brokenhearted aspiring writer, without a dime or connections, packs his bags and heads to Los Angeles in the hopes of finding a new beginning. He quickly gets immersed into two very different worlds - one young, provocative and alluring, the other rooted in diversity, community and loyalty - both with their own unique appeals, advantages and dangers. Through his new experiences, he realizes who he is and where he belongs.—Deborah Del Prete
- Daniel is from Portsmouth. He and his girlfriend Samantha plan to go to Los Angeles together after graduation. However, as an unnamed speaker played by Dan Lauria addresses the Lauchner University Class of 2017, Samantha breaks up with him. Daniel has to drive to Los Angeles by himself, and his credit card is declined when he tries to get gas. He shaves off his beard and walks into a casino with what little money he has left. He walks out looking depressed and gets in his car. Then he pulls out a great deal of money from a bag and stacks it.
In Los Angeles, Daniel finds a house with a "For Rent" sign. He knocks and the beautiful Luisa answers the door. Jose appears and shows Daniel the section of the house that is available. It was his mother's house and she put a wall across it to divide the house into two sections. The section of the house comes with fish in an aquarium that Daniel will have to feed. Jose says Daniel will have to commit to six months and rent is $1300 a month, plus he will have to pay a deposit. Daniel pulls out cash that will pay the entire amount he will owe for six months.
Daniel plans to become a writer and is occasionally shown with a typewriter. Earlier, he had thrown out a typewriter with a note on it. He also has a phone that he uses for social media. He checks Samantha's social media and she is so excited about her new life in New York City. He posts that he is in Los Angeles and asks if there is anyone else he knows.
Enough time passes that Daniel's beard has grown back. Jose brings him a used but clean mattress from a house that burned, and although it smells, Jose says that smell will go away. Jose wonders why Daniel doesn't get out more, and he invites Jose to meet his friends around the fire. They get together every Friday night. Daniel brings his guitar and sings a Bob Dylan song. Luisa joins the group. Her boys are with their father, who is white, which explains why their names don't sound Latino. Daniel seems to get along fine with the guys, but he needs more social interaction.
When Daniel goes to a club, the first person to hit on him is Seth, who has a very outgoing manner and is obviously gay, although he does kiss the female bartender and is later shown kissing women.. He always talks like he is in Broadway production and seems to think he is better than everyone else while somehow still concerned about their lives. Seth wants to know everything about Daniel, who is nice but makes it clear he only dates women. A beautiful woman comes up to Daniel and says, "I don't usually do this", which is exactly what Seth thought would happen. The next morning Daniel wakes up naked and alone in his bed and doesn't remember what happened. Jose comes in and realizes he should have knocked.
Luisa needs someone to babysit her boys and Daniel is happy to do it, and won't even accept pay.
Daniel goes back to the club and meets some of Seth's friends. Mack appears to be his boyfriend. Lilith is aloof and wears a lot of makeup. When Daniel meets Ella, who has silver stars on her face, she says they knew each other in Portsmouth. Daniel appears to want to go out with her but then she introduces her fiancee Bonnie, who is pretty and nice but less feminine than Ella. Ella came to Los Angeles with her sister Talya, who seems very interested in getting to know Daniel.
Daniel and Talya go to Echo Mountain, a historic site with displays explaining its significance. There are numerous telescopes labelled with the names of communities that can be seen, such as "Locating Hollywood", "Locating Los Angeles" and, of course, "Locating Silver Lake". Daniel was told he is "Silver Lake adjacent", but Tayla and the other members of the group are actually in Silver Lake.
Eventually, Daniel and Talya go on a date. But when he picks her up at Seth's house, Seth has on theater makeup and acts like her concerned father. The other members of the group live there. The date is pleasant enough until Talya acts like Cinderella at midnight, suddenly realizing it is time to go. Talya leaves the restaurant and Lilith, standing outside a van decorated like a wall in the 'hood, angrily says, "Get in." Back at the house, when Talya goes in her room, Seth is there.
Daniel and Talya also spend a night together in a tent at Echo Mountain but he respects her desire not to do anything.
Daniel gets together with the group one more time at a karaoke bar, and Seth and Mack are singing. Then it is Lilith's turn. It is her birthday. Daniel brought Talya a gift, though--his favorite book "Maggie Cassidy" by Kerouac, and Talya seems uncomfortable. Daniel eventually goes outside and sees Mack, whose behavior suggests Daniel is becoming a part of a cult and he should get out while he still can.
Daniel and Seth get together again during the day and Seth looks normal for the first time, but he is very demanding as he tries to get Daniel to confront his past, because they all have problems and Daniel is hiding something.
Daniel tries calling Talya but she won't answer. Seth and some of the others are shown around her as if it is an intervention. She is told to play the message from Daniel again.
Daniel gets together again with Jose's group but they make fun of his girl troubles. Daniel is too sensitive and doesn't realize that is the way they are friendly to each other.
Daniel babysits Luisa's boys and she comes home and they are in bed. Luisa seems interested in Daniel, and she explains the significance of Jose' s Friday nights. Jose's daughter was killed, and they have all lost someone. If they are friendly to him, that means they accept him. Daniel and Luisa end up spending the night together, and not platonically.
Daniel was invited to spend New Year's Eve with Seth's group. Actually, it was more like YOU WILL spend New Year's Eve. But Talya doesn't seem to want him there.
Eventually Daniel confronts the group. There are Christmas decorations and presents and someone dressed as Santa, but without pants. Daniel realizes Ella knew he posted on social media and that it is not a coincidence that they met. Then Daniel is told in no uncertain terms he is no longer welcome.
Daniel finally tells his story to Jose's group. His father felt inadequate and tried very hard to improve himself, but his wife still cheated on him. He left and never came back. Daniel's mother got depressed and drank, and finally got hit head-on by a large truck. It is possible she intended for that to happen.
Luisa decides to move and she and her boys say goodbye. They will miss Daniel, and he will miss them.
Daniel also decides to leave, and he has no idea where he will go. But he has one last thing to do. The audience hears him narrating occasionally for the rest of the movie, telling the story that he wrote, and he is shown at Echo Mountain typing on his typewriter.
Daniel packs up him car and says goodbye to Jose. They hug. Jose sees a box he left behind and calls to Daniel, but it is too late. Jose opens the box and sees a note left for him saying to do what he wants in life, and a lot of cash.
Talya is shown in a long white dress participating in some ceremony at the swimming pool. She walks down the stairs in slow motion. Then the entire group is shown in the pool, dressed similarly. Talya appears to be drowning herself but at the last second she gets out of the pool, while the others just lie there. Talya takes off on her bike. She arrives at Echo Mountain to see something Daniel left for her.
The last thing the audience sees before the credits is the title page of the manuscript for the book "Locating Silver Lake".
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