Thirteen Conversations About One Thing is set in New York City and consists of four briefly intersecting story threads. An ambitious young lawyer, Troy (Matthew McConaughey) is stricken with guilt after committing a hit and run. The woman he injures, Beatrice (Clea DuVall), is an idealistic housekeeper forced to reassess her attitudes after the accident. Insurance claims agent Gene (Alan Arkin) is rankled by an unrelentingly cheerful co-worker. College professor Walker (John Turturro) and his wife Patricia (Amy Irving) struggle with his infidelity and midlife crisis. Structurally, the film is divided into 13 sections, each prefaced by an aphorism.