The Neon Ceiling plot
Housewife Carrie Miller (Lee Grant) and her teenage daughter Paula (Denise Nickerson) flee their boring lives and stop at a cafe in the California desert. They meet the owner Jones (Gig Young), a gruff, beer-drinking artist. His life's work consists of neon sculptures that he attaches to the ceiling of his cafe. At first, Jones berates the presence of Carrie and Paula and is as rude as possible. This leads Carrie to conclude that Jones is the first honest man she has ever met. In the end, the two lost souls decide to start a new life together.