Claude is a young Quebecois journalist living in Montreal. He's alienated and unhappy with contemporary society; he can't change it and at the same time he doesn't want to simply compromise and accept it the way it is. It bothers him that his anglophone, Jewish girlfriend Barbara is less philosophical than he is and is more concerned with her theater career than sharing his concerns about social issues. The tension with Barbara and conflicts with his editors causes Claude to leave the city and travel to a remote cabin in the countryside.