In the eve of the first independence referendum, Louis Bourbon discovers that he has a growing problem: debt. In his first year as a medical student, he tries to resolve his financial troubles by attempting to become a pimp. After the attempt fails, Louis takes a sojourn in Cuba to “escape from himself.” There, he meets the innocent yet seductive Isabella, who is a symbol of the regime she lives in. Louis then heads back to Montreal to complete his medical studies. Shortly thereafter, he is involved in a relationship with Marie, a married woman with compulsive desires and a maniacal fear of aging. Louis later finds that his former high school friend, Sosthène, has embraced the lifestyle and values of Communist China and is seeking Quebec’s independence from Canada. Sosthène seeks Louis’s help in promoting his political ambitions but is met by reluctance. Sosthène, in a show of defiance and frustration, resolves to seek his revenge on the Establishment through an ill-fated bank robbery.