Judith embarks on a journey into the heart of downtown Portland in search of an answer to the question, "What do men truly want?" Among those to whom she poses the question are a prognosticating street preacher, a drug dealer, a hippy, a jazz musician, a would-be rapist, a bartender, a stripper, a dancing oracle, and a boutique owner. None give her an answer that rings true. Finally, she stumbles on a homeless man being beaten by two thugs in an alley. She comes to his aid and one of them pulls a pistol. Judith kicks him in the balls, takes the gun, and shoots him through the left buttock. She is taken to the police station, interviewed, and released. She finds the homeless man she defended and it is he who tells her what it is that men truly want. And the answer is so simple really, compared to the mysteries she's unearthed in herself.