"Little Noises" follows the story of Joey (Crispin Glover) and his friend Timmy (Steven Schub), who are aspiring artists struggling to survive in New York and New Jersey. They are constantly running around, but not writing or acting in anything.
They owe money to the wealthy literary agent Mathias (Rik Mayall) and Joey is infatuated with successful playwright Stella (Tatum O'Neal). As their situation worsens, they end up homeless.
When Stella announces she is leaving for England to do a play, Joey's world falls apart. Desperate for fame, Joey turns to literary theft, stealing the work of a young deaf poet after the poet's brother is killed in a drug deal.
In the end, Joey pays a high price for his actions as he seeks fame at any cost.