Elizabeth is a historian who believes that she is on to the find of her career, but has difficulty getting access to the document that will prove her theory. In desperation, she and a friend decide to break into the owner's house. She successfully gets in but is unexpectedly caught by the owner. She and the friend have to make up a story to get them out of trouble which eventually leads to string of events that lands Elizabeth in even more hot water.

In a town where half the men die down the coalpit, Margaret MacNeil is quite happy being single in her small Cape Breton island town. Until she meets Neil Currie, a charming and sincere bagpipe-playing, Gaelic-speaking dishwasher. But no matter what you do, you can't avoid the spectre of the pit forever.

When a camera crew are sent to document hippie protests in Yorkville, Canada's counter-culture capital, they are charmed by a group of misunderstood kids with their own ideas about what kind of movie to make.