Willum Cubbert is a young, talented architect living in Terre Haute, Indiana. Years before the play takes place, Willum’s life was saved by the heroic Rick Steadman, who was then promised that if he ever need anything, Willum would be there. Flash forward to the present, when Rick Steadman, the titular Nerd, shows up at a dinner party hosted by Willum and, after moving in, completely wreaks havoc on the lives of Willum and his two best friends, Tansy and Axel. Before long, these three will do whatever they possibly can to get rid of Rick, whether it’s conjuring up stories of the “terrible Terre Haute winters” or eating sand.