Hapless satirical songwriter Henry Phillips is lured to LA by renowned TV producer Jay Warren, who wants to make a show about the life of a struggling performer. When Jay sees Henry bomb at a local club, he is convinced that this story must be told. With the support of his longtime musician friend Jillian, and his well-meaning but sub-par manager Ellen Pinsky, Henry endures the ups and downs of LA living, and even secures what appears to be the Hollywood dream. But as a major TV network gets involved, he must decide whether his legacy will be to make jokes, or become the butt of them.

Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn't fully understand: Love. Michael Cera becomes the object of her affection. Weaving together reality and fantasy, Paper Heart combines elements of documentary and traditional storytelling to get at modern romance.