Dark Freeman, embarks on a heroic, introspective journey – he is an inaction hero, a man who must battle his inner demons in order to seize the freedom he craves. Dark’s interior world reveals disturbing snatches of memory, the weight of fundamental loneliness, the sense that events pass him by. His friends do not understand his lack of drive. He is enrolled at the University of Chicago and, compared to Troy, his childhood friend who is a hustler, or Dewey, who has just been released from prison, Dark has the promise of a great future. Perhaps the secret lies in the blackouts and the upsurge of childhood memories that – try as he might to repress them – continue to haunt him. For a while, Dark finds respite in his girlfriend’s love and his increasing attraction to an artist. Seeing someone absorbed by her creative work causes him to contemplate his own dearth of passion and focus. However, his inability to communicate takes him on a downward spiral. When he witnesses an innocent interaction between his girlfriend and a male friend, it triggers overwhelming anxiety and causes a traumatic childhood memory to resurface – with almost tragic results.