In 1953 poet Dylan Thomas arrives in New York with his assistant and lover Liz Reitell to embark upon a tour of poetry readings, ending up in California where he hopes to meet Stravinsky. He is perpetually drunk, almost missing meetings, throwing up and taking a paranoid view of his long-suffering agent John Brinnin, whom he accuses of trying to defraud him. Whilst staying at the Chelsea hotel he recalls his upbringing in Wales, his affectionate exchange with his proud, ailing father - the inspiration for the poem 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' - and his time with his wife Caitlin and daughter Aeronwy, as he writes ' Under Milk Wood'. Whilst he patches things up with John, his infidelity to both wife and mistress angers Liz and his excessive drinking ensures that he never gets to meet Stravinsky or survive beyond another few months.