Based on the autobiographical short story by Jim Carroll, "Curtis's Charm" unfolds a day in the life of two characters: Jim, a recovered heroin addict in his early thirties and Curtis, his friend from rehab days, a little younger and still using. In a series of vignettes that move between ultra-realism and fantasy, Jim helps Curtis develop a "lucky charm" with which to protect himself against his revenge-seeking, voodoo-practicing mother in-law. Jim is shocked to find that his talisman is beginning to have effects on both Curtis and him. When Curtis's faith in the charm takes him in a dangerous direction, Jim realizes that a little power in the wrong hands can be a terrible thing.