A man discovers he's no longer as close to his ear as he once was in this absurdist comedy. Jeff is minding his own business when a phonograph record tossed from a passing car accidentally cuts off his ear. The ear falls into traffic, gets stuck on the windshield of another vehicle, and begins a long, strange journey, passing from car to car and hand to hand across the country. Jeff, however, can still hear whatever his separated ear is picking up, and is trying to follow the sounds in hopes of catching up with his former body part. However, a doctor warns him he only has a few hours to find his ear, otherwise reattachment will be impossible; in the meantime, Jeff's former girlfriend wastes several of his precious minutes with a discussion about the notion of giving their relationship another try.

Jeff effectue sa première journée de travail sur l'autoroute. Il s'est fait engager comme agent d'entretien pour revoir son ancien amour, Périnne, qui travaille au péage. Alors qu'il ramasse des plots sur la bande d'arrêt d'urgence, son oreille gauche est sectionnée par un disque malencontreusement éjecté par la fenêtre d'une voiture. D'abord choqué par l'accident, Jeff se rend compte peu après qu'il continue à entendre à distance avec son oreille coupée. Jeff commence à chercher son oreille en se laissant guider par les sons qu'il entend.