Two desperate individuals, Jamie Mays and Bill Houston, collide on a Greyhound bus, initiating a volatile cross-country odyssey through the fringes of American society. Jamie, a runaway mother with two children, and Bill, a man defined by his history as an ex-convict and former sailor, seek escape from their pasts while navigating a landscape of substance abuse and instability. Their movement is dictated by the erratic rhythms of bus travel and the search for transient security in cheap motels. The narrative framework captures their aimless trajectory, emphasizing the physical and psychological decay of characters existing on the margins of the American dream.

Discussion often centers on the author's unflinching examination of characters who exist outside the boundaries of conventional society. Readers frequently highlight the stark, unvarnished prose that captures the bleakness of the protagonists' circumstances without resorting to sentimentality. Critics often point to the balance between the characters' internal metaphysical inquiries and the external chaos of their environment. The work is noted for its ability to maintain a sense of impending dread throughout the narrative, culminating in a conclusion that challenges the reader's expectations of resolution.