The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart

Stanley Sweetheart relocates from Beverly Hills to New York City, living alone on the Upper West Side across from a noisy construction site. He faces financial pressures and a cooled relationship with his mother, which pushes him toward independence. The move seeds his search for sexual and artistic outlets in the city.

In his junior year at Columbia University, Stanley grows bored with classes and fantasizes about a beautiful classmate. He seeks excitement outside the classroom to fill an emotional void left by his family situation. These cravings pull him into flirtations and casual liaisons around campus.

At a local bar, Stanley meets Barbara, a talkative hippie who has recently changed her name to Shayne. He is also drawn to Barbara's roommate Andrea, whom he finds compelling. The bar becomes the doorway to later, more complicated sexual entanglements.

Stanley has a one-night stand with Barbara, then is struck by Andrea's beauty and presence across the room. The encounter deepens his attraction to both women and foreshadows the polyamorous dynamics to come. The night pushes him deeper into a web of desire.

Back on campus, Stanley meets Cathy, a classmate he falls in love with. They start dating and soon enjoy a period of domestic life together. Cathy remains a virgin, and their relationship tests the boundaries of romance and sexual expectation.

Cathy and Stanley fall into a steady relationship, living together for a time. Cathy eventually agrees to sleep with him, but the pattern of longing and restlessness soon reappears. The couple's happiness is fragile as Stanley's fantasies pull him toward other possibilities.

Growing bored with Cathy, Stanley invites Fran over under the pretext of filming an underground movie called Masturbation. He films Fran in various sexual positions, culminating with her masturbating in a bathtub, and then he sleeps with her. Although he feels guilt at first, Fran later visits his apartment and tempts him to continue the affair behind Cathy's back.

Stanley accompanies Danny to a psychedelic rock concert in a loft, where the counterculture energy amplifies his exploration of sex and relationships. After the show, Cathy, Barbara, and Andrea come to Stanley's apartment, and they all smoke pot together. Stanley finally connects with Andrea during this gathering, expanding the circle of his intimate life.

Cathy ends the relationship, telling Stanley she wants to be with Danny instead. He throws her out in anger, but soon regrets the breakup and searches for her in the crowd. Danny's apathy toward Cathy further complicates the love triangle.

Stanley visits Andrea's apartment where they smoke pot and eventually make love, and Barbara joins them. The trio form a makeshift family with Stanley as 'big daddy,' Andrea as 'mama,' and Barbara as 'little sister.' They spend their days in Greenwich Village enjoying shared sex and drugs.

At first, the arrangement brings Stanley happiness, but he quickly loses interest again. He sees Cathy at another psychedelic event, but his drug-fueled euphoria makes him unable to respond to her attempts at conversation. The moment underscores his inability to connect despite the surrounding pleasures.

Danny shoots himself behind his mother's house, a dark turn that intensifies the film's sense of fragility and emptiness. The event jolts Stanley, who becomes more withdrawn as the world around him grows grimmer. The tragedy sharpens the sense that freedom has come at a high price.

Stanley wakes up in Andrea and Barbara's apartment and tells Andrea he's going uptown to change his clothes. Andrea begs him to stay, saying she needs him, but he leaves with unresolved promises. The morning after leaves his future uncertain and the audience wondering whether he will return.

On the closing moment, it is unclear whether Stanley will return to the makeshift family or continue his detachment. Andrea's plea contrasts with his ambiguous choice, emphasizing the film's themes of freedom, love, and the costs of self-indulgence. The ending leaves Stanley's fate unresolved.