Jim（詹姆斯·迪恩 James Dean 饰）因为在学校里无法与其他同学共融，迫使他的父母只能多次搬家，这一次他们来到了洛杉矶。在洛杉矶的一所高中里，他仍旧遭到了同学的排斥，但认识了他心爱的女生Judy（娜塔利·伍德 Natalie Wood 饰）；交到了他真正的朋友 Plato（萨尔·米涅奥 Sal Mineo 饰）。在Jim和当地小混混头目、也是Judy的前男友Buzz一系列的纠纷中，两人最终决定以赛车来定胜负。而在比赛中，Buzz不幸坠入悬崖身亡。Buzz的兄弟们试图找Jim报仇，在两方的对抗中，Plato被警察意外枪杀，使这部影片留下了一个悲剧性的结尾。而Jim和Judy的命运又将何去何从？

在一场艺术品拍卖会上，汤姆（丹尼斯·霍珀 Dennis Hopper 饰）遇见了名为乔纳森（布鲁诺·甘茨 Bruno Ganz 饰）的男人。乔纳森患有血液方面的疾病，这对于他那并不富裕的家庭来说无异于雪上加霜。黑手党找到了汤姆希望他能够帮他们完成一项暗杀任务，不愿意铤而走险的汤姆想到了乔纳森。
汤姆向乔纳森保证，如果后者能够代替他完成任务，那么汤姆的家庭将会得到一大笔的报酬，与此同时，汤姆贿赂了乔纳森的主治医师，两人合伙蒙骗了乔纳森，让他以为自己的病情发生了急速恶化。就这样，心中充满了痛苦和绝望的乔纳森走上了一条不归路，而看着乔纳森苦苦挣扎的模样，汤姆的心中竟然也产生了一种说不清道不明的情绪。

一九七三年，一个富裕的荷兰人出资邀请Nicholas Ray ,Dusan Makavejev等多位导演拍摄以“性梦”为主题的几分钟的短片，这样一部由十三部短片组成的电影就此诞生。一年后，一位法国艺术院线的老板买下了版权，该片得以公映。
1."The Plumber" 水管工(黑白/默片/导演：Lee Kraft)
2."Deep Skin" 微观性爱(导演：Max Fisher)
3."A piece of social realisme" 生活断片(导演:Jens Jørgen Thorsen)
4."Contrasts" 对照(导演：Max Fisher& Lee Kraft)
5."The Private World of Hans Kanters" Hans Kanters的私人世界(卡通/导演：Hans Kanters)
6."Flames" 火焰(导演：Heathcote Williams)
7."Politfuck" 性政治(导演：Dusan Makavejev)
8."Dragirama" (卡通/导演：Oscar Gigard)
9."A Face" 一张脸(导演：Max Fisher)
10."The Happy Necrophiliacs" 幸福的女性欲狂(导演：Lasse Braun)
11."The Banner" 旗帜(导演：Lee Kraft)
12."The Janitor" 看门人(导演：Nicholas Ray)
13."On a Sunday Afternoon" 周日下午(导演：Geert Koolman)

Did Nick Ray leave Hollywood, or did Hollywood leave him? What was he up to when he returned to the States after a decade in Europe? What was his intention with We Can’t Go Home Again, that experimental film he made with a bunch of college students? What was he doing with so many images on the screen all at once? How did he do it? Why was the film never finished? Did he lose his way, his talent, his sanity, his common sense? Don’t Expect Too Much, a feature-length documentary helmed by Ray’s wife Susan, investigates these questions and the relationship forged by Ray between his life and his art. Drawing on the director’s archive of never-before-seen film, video and stills, Susan finds answers to our questions about Nick Ray in Nick Ray’s own words and images. And we learn from interviews with members of the original crew of We Can’t Go Home Again, directors Jim Jarmusch and Victor Erice, and others, how this man lived, saw, learned and taught, how he fought and danced with his demons, how he loved.