Minnesota-based playwright Patrick Coyle writes, directs, and stars in the feature film Detective Fiction, adapted from the stage play of the same name. Jack Hannan (Coyle) is a technical writer and a recovering alcoholic. Court-ordered to stay sober, Jack begins to work on a 1940s-style detective novel. He meets Leslie (Sarah Agnew) in his AA group and fantasizes about her, only to find out she is nothing like his imagined femme fatale character. Meanwhile, Jack's estranged wife, Jennifer (Mo Collins), has left her job as a psychologist to go back to school. Ignored by her husband, she meets a younger man Elliott (Brent Doyle) and begins an affair. After a series of flashbacks, Jack and Jennifer are forced to confront each other and deal with the realities of their relationship.