See the World begins with the story of Vern, a man in his late 50s. Following the death of his wife, Vern moves to an isolated cabin in the desert. From here, he decides to leave on what is essentially a walkabout, a vision quest, although it isn't clear to him that this is what he's doing. He simply feels he needs to travel, to "see the world," using a bicycle as transportation. Vern meets an assortment of characters engaged in an assortment of glorious and inglorious pursuits. As Vern searches for himself, he becomes the target of other searches and these quests merge into a tale of losing and discovering love, lurid business dealings involving "custom" autopsy films, hired killers, cowboys, and a wild horse in the middle of it all. See the World is about looking and seeing, about grief and loss, and about what is truly lost as opposed to what seems to be lost. Vern is looking for consolation following the loss of his wife, and on his travels his grief is swallowed by the beauty of the world--the love offered him by a woman (which he is unable to accept) and the responsibility he feels for a wild horse (which he is able to accept).