Des works at a boring job, and his girlfriend Julie is pressuring him to get married by claiming to be pregnant, so that she will not have to work. Laurie is living a life of quiet desperation with her husband Colin, an aspiring writer who refuses to look for a job. Des meets Laurie while visiting a work-mate who is dying of leukemia. While they go for a drive, Laurie invites Des to a rent party at their house. After this Vancouver counter-culture party, Colin finds Des and Laurie in bed together.