No act of kindness goes unpunished; Geoffrey Chadwick discovers this cynical truism has greater truth in it than not when he reluctantly agrees to work on an amateur production of Hedda Gabler to raise funds for the Westmount Library. Chadwick, a retired lawyer, embarks on a Caribbean cruise won in a raffle. His companion is an old school friend, Frank Wilkinson. The travelers are beset by flu, boring table mates, and a flamboyant quartet who make overtures to Geoffrey. A thwarted love affair further complicates the voyage, and Geoffrey returns to Montreal, resigned to the inevitable fact of growing old.