A Different Story

Albert, Sills's chauffeur and lover, is cast out after Sills takes another lover. He becomes homeless in Los Angeles, desperate and adrift. The sudden loss of his patron and home sets him on a collision course with Stella.

Stella, a real estate agent who knows Sills and Albert, finds him living in one of her properties. She offers him the couch for the night and allows him to stay. This small act begins an unusual domestic arrangement.

The next day Stella goes to work, expecting Albert to leave, but he cleans the clutter and cooks a dinner for them. They tacitly agree he can stay longer and perform domestic duties. He also starts a part-time job as a valet.

During Stella's night out with Chris, they kiss and Albert realizes Stella is a lesbian. Chris spends the night. The companionship between Stella and Albert deepens, though their relationship remains unconventional.

Phyllis, another lover of Stella, storms in and finds Stella in bed with Chris. Stella apologizes and they do not break off their relationship. This moment confirms Stella's polyamorous network.

Albert meets Roger at the baths and begins a new affair. Despite these separate lovers, Stella and Albert discover they enjoy spending more time together than with anyone else. Their bond strengthens even as their bisexual/bi-curious dynamics continue.

Stella's parents come by and leave with the impression that Stella and Albert are a couple. The misunderstanding complicates their already unconventional living arrangement. It shows how others misread their closeness.

Immigration agents arrive seeking Albert, an illegal Belgian. Stella marries him to spare him from deportation, formalizing their bond in the eyes of the law. The marriage anchors their controversial partnership.

On Albert's birthday, drunkenly they have sex for the first time and begin sleeping in the same bed. From then on, they act like a heterosexual married couple despite their past arrangements. The moment cements a new, complicated domestic life.

Stella becomes pregnant, and the couple's life takes on a new dimension. Phyllis grows more distraught about Stella's absence since the morning after their marriage. The pregnancy marks a turning point in their arrangement.

Phyllis becomes suicidal, prompting Stella and Albert to intervene by breaking into Phyllis's apartment. They find Phyllis with a gun but the weapon is not loaded. Phyllis breaks down in tears, revealing the depth of her distress.

The baby is born and the family moves to a new house. Albert begins an apprenticeship as a fashion designer, while Stella temporarily puts her career on hold to raise the child. Their family life grows but tensions simmer.

Stella sneaks into Albert's workplace after an office party and finds Albert naked in the shower with a female model, not with his boss Ned. The jealousy fuels their marital strain and foreshadows a possible breakup.

Stella moves out with the baby and threatens a divorce. Albert apologizes and makes one last effort to repair things when Stella is showing a property. She initially rejects him, leaving the door open for a potential reconciliation.

Before Stella can respond to his plea, Albert drives away on his motorcycle and crashes into a tree. Stella runs over in tears, but Albert is not seriously hurt, leaving their fate uncertain.