A Salty Piece of Land follows the misadventures of Tully Mars, a Wyoming native who flees his home state after throwing a massage table through Thelma Barston's window. Thelma is Tully's boss on the poodle ranch and she wants revenge. She's even hired Waldo and Wilton Stilton, misguided bounty hunters, to track him down.

Officially a fugitive, Tully's travels take him to the tropical beaches of Key West, Cayo Loco, Punta Margarita, and Belize. Joining him on his journey is his trusty, quarter-horse Mr. Twain, a two-piece art collection, and a Lister's conch, which was given to him by his good friend Johnny Red Dust.

After meeting up with Captain Kirk, Tully heads to Punta Margarita where he is offered a job as a fishing guide at the Lost Boys Fishing Lodge. He befriends a Mayan named Ix-Nay and while Tully teaches him the ways of fishing, Ix-Nay shares his knowledge of the island.

When Tully's old girlfriend Donna Kay arrives on a plane painted like a pink flamingo, Tully worries that his past might be catching up with him, but he soon discovers that his past has moved on without him. Donna Kay leaves the island and Tully takes some time to reflect. After drowning his new boss' Jeep in a giant puddle, he ends up on a beach where he encounters 101-year-old Cleopatra Highbourne. Tully begins a conversation with Cleopatra, learning that she's looking to restore a lighthouse in Cayo Loco. She invites him on board her schooner for dinner. The two become fast friends and Cleopatra even offers him a job on her crew. However, Tully turns the job down because of his commitments at Lost Boys.

Ix-Nay tells Tully about a Land Rover that is for sale in Belize. Wanting to replace Bucky's Jeep, Tully and Ix-Nay make the trek and encounter an eccentric Brit, Archie Mercer. Since the Land Rover isn't yet available, Archie extends the use of his condominium at Renaldo's, a nearby resort, to his new friends. At the resort, Tully meets Dawn, a sexually adventurous teenager on spring break. However, Dawn possesses a very dangerous secret - she's the stepdaughter of Thelma Barston and the Stilton Brothers are in town to capture Tully! With the aid of his new friends, Tully narrowly escapes. Tully's adventures are far from over as he sets out to finish the journey Johnny Red Dust cautioned him about - his journey to find his true home.