Curtiss Prentiss (Billy Crudup) is the archetypal American dreamer: the rainmaker. He arrives in town with big ideas, a fervent sales pitch, and a set of blueprints in hand. Curtis also has a moneyed friend who's susceptible to his incantations. He finds, by chance, an out-of-work aerospace engineer (Paul Giamatti), who he recruits with a vision of building the ultimate invention: "the rocket belt," a personalized flying machine.