Josh is the consummate temp employee, avoiding all long-term connections and responsibilities, both at work and in his personal life. However, by the time his agency places him at the Schuyler & Mitchell law firm, Josh is tired of his temporary life and agrees to take a permanent position at the firm. Josh has difficulty adapting to his new lifestyle, which manifests in his inability to complete his simple initial task: mailing seventeen important letters.

The film examines the case of artist and professor Steve Kurtz, a member of the Critical Art Ensemble (CAE). The work of Kurtz and other CAE members dealt with genetically modified food and other issues of science and public policy. After his wife, Hope, died of heart failure, paramedics arrived and became suspicious when they noticed petri dishes and other scientific equipment related to Kurtz's art in his home. They summoned the FBI, who detained Kurtz within hours on suspicion of bioterrorism.

自1983年开始播映的PBS新闻最前线节目。