Pierre leaves his home town to study in Montréal. When his student loans don't arrive, lack of money forces him to feel the cruelty associated with the material realities of existence. Slowly, we learn of his relationship to Claire and of his part-time job as a singer, all of which help him to survive until his loan arrives. We see the Cégep he attends, the art courses that seem to lead him nowhere and we witness the constant pressure he feels to "get ahead" in life.