Leonard Cohen is at the start of his career and in love with Marianne Jensen, who is also a muse to her ex-husband, Axel. Australian authors George Johnston and Charmian Clift write, drink and fight. It is a hedonistic time of love, sex and new ideas on the Greek island of Hydra. As the island hums with creativity, Jack and Frieda join the artistic community, hoping to mend their broken marriage. However, Greece is overtaken by a military junta and the artists' idyll is over.