Harvard public-policy major Monty Kessler (Brendan Fraser) finds himself in a pinch when his thesis ends up in the hands of Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci), a resourceful vagabond living in the university library's basement. Sensing a meal ticket, Simon offers to trade pages of the essay for food and lodging. An unlikely bond forms between the pair, and Simon teaches the self-absorbed, overachieving Monty that there's more to life than book learning.