Newly independent, Line, Marty and Paul begin to take the world on its own terms. The shifting tectonic plates of the 1970's, however, stirred and shook culture, overturning the old values which supported wealth, class, racial and sexual boundaries. The rising counter-culture demanded maximum freedom, directness of speech, love of simplicity, an affinity for nature and kindness to children.Living his dreams in Alaska, Paul slowly becomes aware of his own lack of companionship. Marty marries Erik, an up and coming architect, though she knows his drug deals may be more exciting to him than his profession. She herself cannot imagine how to turn her passion for photography into a viable living. Line, reunited with her husband on the experimental Santa Cruz campus of the University of California, pits herself against "the establishment," preferring natural healing and alternative living.