Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills

Recently widowed Clare invites her next-door neighbor Lisabeth to stay with her while Lisabeth's house is fumigated. Clare is a former television sitcom star and hopes the company will ease her grief. The arrangement sets off a chain of volatile entanglements among their guests.

Lisabeth's brother Peter, a playwright, arrives with his new bride To-Bel, an African-American woman. The arrival expands the social circle and hints at the romantic tensions to come. The couple's presence foreshadows shifting loyalties in the household.

Howard, Lisabeth's ex-husband, shows up unexpectedly and begs Lisabeth to take him back. To-Bel had an earlier fling with Howard in Hawaii, which complicates the reconciliation request. The scene reopens old wounds and stirs jealousy among the guests.

Juan, a Chicano manservant, owes $5,000 to the Asian gangster June-Bug. When June-Bug appears, he slashes Juan's cheek as a warning to pay up. Juan then seeks help from Lisabeth's chauffeur, Frank, who becomes entangled in the looming bet.

Frank proposes a wager: he can seduce Clare before Juan can bed Lisabeth, paying $5,000 if Juan wins and requiring Juan to bed him if he loses. The bet invites a dangerous game of seduction and manipulation. The challenge plants the seeds for a web of deceit that will ensnare multiple characters.

Frank laces Clare's drink with sedatives and tricks Juan into thinking he bedded her. The deception aims to steer the outcome of the bet toward Frank's advantage. Clare remains unaware of the manipulation, which undermines trust within the group.

Juan does sleep with Lisabeth, but he denies the act to protect her reputation. The secrecy strains Lisabeth's relationship with Juan and creates a dilemma about honesty and loyalty. The event compounds the tension surrounding the wager.

Following the terms of the wager, Juan sleeps with Frank. The act makes both men complicit in deception and intensifies the moral ambiguity of the bets and loyalties among the adults. The affair further destabilizes the social dynamics in Clare's home.

Willie, Howard and Lisabeth's teenage son, reveals his cancer is in remission and his coming-of-age signals a sexual awakening. Juan loans him porno tapes and encourages masturbation, introducing explicit material into the household. The situation intertwines medical vulnerability with sexual experimentation.

To-Bel appears as a leather-clad figure in one of the tapes, which is accidentally mixed with Clare's old sitcom episode. Clare shows the tape to guests at Sidney's wake, not realizing its pornographic content. To-Bel quickly cuts the power to dampen the embarrassment.

Willie returns the tape, and To-Bel expresses gratitude by agreeing to help him lose his virginity by sleeping with him. The sexual power exchange further complicates the relationships within the household. The gesture cements a controversial dependence between adult and teen.

Mo persuades Clare to pursue a comeback and enlists Sidney's much younger daughter Zandra for a hunger-project trip to Africa. A brunch meant to showcase her return devolves into a disaster as guests reveal infidelities and unsavory secrets. Even the housekeeper's Aztec philosophy adds to the chaotic atmosphere.

Peter sleeps with Clare, while To-Bel and Howard rekindle and leave together. Meanwhile, Juan and Lisabeth fall in love and plan a romantic holiday, complicating loyalties as the group navigates new romances. The future feels unsettled as departures loom.

As the limousine is about to depart, June-Bug returns, but Frank provides Juan with money to repay his debt. The reconciliation calms the immediate threat of gang pressure and restores a fragile balance, at least for the moment. The incident underscores the persistent grip of money and debt on the characters.

Sidney's ghost appears again to pester Clare, who resolves to undertake self-improvement on her own terms. After a tense moment, the ghost vanishes for good, signalling a fragile but hopeful turn in Clare's arc. The narrative closes on a note of personal transformation amid ongoing chaos.