
The film, co-written by Birney and director Pete Ohs, takes place in Baltimore in 1987, before the internet was widespread. It centers on Conor (played by Birney), a young artist who creates images using only the 128 characters available on old computer keyboards – letters, numbers, and punctuation. Before color printers and high-quality photos, artists like Conor would painstakingly recreate pictures in black and white using these characters. People mail him photos, and he rapidly types them into his computer. His life is quite solitary; he lives with his dog, Sandy, but lacks the strong family and social connections of those who send him pictures. His neighbor, Mary, helps with groceries, and his only time outdoors is in his small, cicada-filled backyard.