When Isabelle and Theo invite Matthew to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and everything is possible.
In post-9/11 New York City, an eclectic group of citizens find their lives entangled, personally, romantically, and sexually, at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.
Yeon, a student in the film department, meets Ji Hee, a smart designer, and Min Jun, a developer with an attractive appearance. The three fall in love with each other and start a polyamorous love affair.
In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when he urges her to have sex with another.
A man and woman meet by chance at a romantic inn over dinner and, although both are happily married to others, they find themselves in the same bed the next morning questioning how this could have happened. They agree to meet on the same weekend each year—in the same hotel room—and the years pass each has some personal crisis that the other helps them through, often without both of them understanding what is going on.
When a pompous actor tells good girl Alexa that she hasn't lived, she embarks on a bold journey that takes her to mysterious bad boy Johnny. Envious, her shy best friend Ben also dares to pursue Johnny.
Emmanuelle returns to her husband in Hong Kong and proceeds to have several extramarital affairs -- with his knowledge, of course. Her husband's lover and American guest are both very puzzled by their openness.
Follows three young millennials as they form a wholehearted ménage à trois, each of them going through a moment of transition: Fun-loving Marcello from under the thumb of his Italian soap star father, soulful French-Iranian actor Nassim toward a more fulfilling career, and artist Christine through the grief following the death of her grandfather. The trio finds joy together by joining political protests, making art, and falling deeper into their unconventional love, until Marcello must return to Italy.
Author Ayn Rand becomes involved with a much younger and married man, to the dismay of those close to her.
Mark and Mary's meet-cute happens at a neighborhood drug store, where she is busy buying a pregnancy test, and he has to make an effort to remind her they met in college. After asking her out, he accompanies her as she takes the test, and upon it showing negative, she agrees to a date. One year later, they have fallen deeply, passionately, head over heels in love, and their whirlwind romance leads to marriage. So when Mary suddenly requests they open their relationship to “ethical non-monogamy”, Mark is taken by surprise, but agrees to try it. And that's where this story really begins.
The story of Ana and Diego, a couple who decide to go live on the coast in Chile. There, they meet Vicente, with whom Diego secretly begins a relationship. Ana, for her part, must decide if she wants to open up to a relationship that deconstructs the traditional ways of relating affectively.
When a polyamorous trio seems to be living its peaceful everyday life, the arrival of a girl is ready to upset their balance and change their destinies forever.
A gay couple realizes they aren't sexually compatible, so they look for a third man. But when betrayal and jealousy sneak in, their relationship shatters into pieces.
Painter Dora Carrington develops an intimate but extremely complex bond with writer Lytton Strachey. Though Lytton is a homosexual, he is enchanted by the mysterious Dora and they begin a lifelong friendship that has strangely romantic undertones. Eventually, Lytton and Dora decide to live together, despite the fact that the latter has fallen in love with military man Ralph Partridge, whom she plans to marry.
Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.
A depressed romantic thinks he's found 'the one' despite her polyamorous lifestyle, but shit gets too real when her boyfriend crashes Monopoly night.
Michael Pappas and his girlfriend, Cathy, are enjoying the white sand beaches of a Greek island as well as the freewheeling nature of the locals. When Michael meets Lina, who is in Greece from Paris doing archaeological work, he is enamored with the beautiful foreigner. Cathy, unhappy about Lina getting close to Michael, confronts the woman -- only to be unexpectedly wooed by her charms as well.
At a sizable public college, high-minded student Eddy is forced to room with the slovenly Stuart, but the pair strike up a surprising friendship. When attractive co-ed Alex is assigned to live with the two male students because of her gender-neutral name, a roundabout love triangle ensues. Eddy secretly yearns for Stuart, who wants Alex, but she prefers Eddy. The complex situation leads to sexual experimentation and strained relationships.
Elias dreams of a family. Christian is happy about their free existence in an open relationship, where they have time and money to travel, buy expensive designer furniture and love each other. Elias has been able to keep his longing at bay for a long time, but when he starts his new job as a psychologist at a school home, it is as if the burden is overflowing. He must face the fact that a life without a human responsibility for others than himself can never be a happy life for him.
In the carefree days before World War I, introverted Austrian author Jules strikes up a friendship with the exuberant Frenchman Jim and both men fall for the impulsive and beautiful Catherine.