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Boasting a greater emphasis on plot and character development than the typical adult-oriented erotic film of its era, the science fiction-themed Café Flesh (1982) became one of a handful of porn titles to gain a mainstream audience, albeit with a toned-down, R-rated cut. Billed as Pia Snow, actress Michelle Bauer stars as Lana, a woman hiding a secret in a futuristic dystopia. A devastating nuclear holocaust has rendered most human beings incapable of sexual congress. Labeling themselves "sex negatives," they pay a premium for entry into clubs where "sex positives," those lucky few able to copulate, perform public sex acts for entertainment purposes. A sex positive masquerading as a sex negative, Lana must decide if she wants to live a lie or experience the act of love first-hand. Café Flesh (1982) was the first feature film of co-writer Jerry Stahl, who later chronicled his descent into drug abuse in the novel and film Permanent Midnight (1998).