Abstract Phil is Phillip Riley, an acclaimed, passionate artist, living through his work, who finds his productivity compromised by lack of inspiration. His impatience with himself leads to flights of irrational behavior, centered in the Northern California coastal town of Bodega Bay. The arrival of Gina Bartoni, a headstrong PhD candidate obsessed with Riley's paintings, changes everything. Lost in love, the artist builds a bridge from the self-reflective importance of his craft to the woman in his life.