A contemporary re-imagining of La vie de la bohème, the novel follows the lives and loves of artists and students in1980s Vancouver, in particular three friends, as they move through their late twenties and try to find their places in life. Jaime Campbell is a painter and an art school student, his friend Will Russell is a grad student in History, and Tam Westhoff, an international student, is a friend to them both. From one night’s long party in September 1987, the story branches out into the pasts and futures of the three friends as each of them searches for the work they were meant to do, taking their dreams and trying to bring them into the world. As they move toward their chosen futures, they will find love but will also suffer fates common to all – death, madness, accident – because the past is never completely finished.