Holden's Performance is the sprawling tale of Holden Shadbolt, a guileless and matter-of-fact man, as he passes through the cities and landscapes of Australia. He follows the flamboyant people around him – ex-corporal Frank 'Bloodnut' McBee who woos Holden's mother; his uncle Vern, a shortsighted proofreader with a weakness for eating newspaper with his breakfast cereal; and the crippled artist Harriet, whose twists and curves intersect Holden's own unswervingly straight lines ...