At a remote Midwestern University in the year 1991, one young man battles indecision, procrastination, and a fondness for recreational drugs in a epic struggle to graduate college. Meanwhile, he must face a completely unexpected foe - frat boys who like grunge. 'Paraphernalia' takes place at the University of Missouri during the 1991-1992 school year. Jason Riley puts far more energy into his social life and his standing as a counterculture independent than his education. When he fails to reach rock star status by learning to play guitar, and his girlfriend dumps him for being a slacker, he has find a way to get his life together without selling out.