Nancy (Maria Bello), a deeply troubled woman stuck in an emotionally dead marriage, meets her salvation on the Internet in the form of Louis Farley (Jason Patric). Louis's life, like Nancy's, has become a twisted quest for redemption via smutty chat rooms and alternative websites. Both wounded and alone, Nancy and Louis take comfort in one another through e-mail, pictures and promises. The two of them meet, having agreed upon a plan to end her life. But their goals begin to diverge when Louis finds himself falling in love with Nancy. Through this darkest of love stories, Downloading Nancy explores, almost paradoxically, questions of love, compassion, and mercy.