With the publication in 1951 of his book Catcher in the Rye, Jerome David Salinger became one of the fundamental American writers of the 20th Century. For reasons that still remain shrouded in mystery, he disappeared in 1965, withdrawing from the world and refusing any contact. Salinger is said to be alive today and living somewhere in New Hampshire. After the mythical book, the man himself has become a living legend.

In 2007, the French writer, Frédéric Beigbeder, decides to leave for the USA seeking out Jerome David Salinger, now 89 years old. As he searches for Salinger, followed closely by the camera of Jean-Marie Périer, a film unfolds of a French writer seeking out his personal and cultural sources, while creating a vivid portrait of American contemporary culture.