Until now, David Kern was a waiter and a decidedly unliterary nobody. His only true passion is Marie, who loves literature and seems to be out of reach for him. When David finds the unpublished manuscript of a novel in a second-hand night table, it seems to be his only chance to get Marie's attention ... Marie's reaction is more than he ever hoped for. She's ecstatic about the book and secretly finds a publisher for it. Soon the novel is hailed as a masterpiece, and David becomes a dazzled but overwhelmed literary superstar, with Marie's love for him growing with every review. After a public reading on his PR tour, his second worst nightmare becomes reality when Alfred Duster, a name he only knows as the author of the manuscript he found, smilingly asks for a signed copy of the novel. Duster wants money and begins to take over David's life. Unable to bear the pressure any longer, David confesses to Marie. She leaves him dazed and confused, and David knows that he needs to show Marie his love and despair in a way she will understand.