Patricia Cross and her boyfriend Larry Osborne, two students in a San Francisco school, are expelled for publishing an off-campus underground paper. This disciplinary setback becomes a turning point that draws a philosophy professor into the spotlight of a broader counterculture movement. Dr. Jonathon Barnett resigns his teaching post and embraces a public role as an advocate for the hippie scene, with a particular emphasis on the use of LSD. The Haight-Ashbury district’s vibrant, chaotic energy welcomes him at first, and the crowd of young followers grows curious about his ideas and charisma, including Larry and Patricia, who begin to see him as a compelling figure to empower their generation.
Barnett’s rise to prominence is amplified when he appears on a television program hosted by Joe Pyne, where he expresses his support for the hippie lifestyle and the psychedelic drug culture. This appearance helps him attract a wider audience, and a scheming young man recognizes a chance to shape Barnett into the figurehead of a LSD-centered cult. He envisions profiting from the followers, from Barnett’s outspoken “happenings” speeches, and from the lifestyle that accompanies this new movement. The plan hinges on Barnett’s growing influence and the sensational energy around the LSD phenomenon, which the conspirator hopes to monetize while lending Barnett an aura of revolutionary leadership.
At a large, drug-fueled dance filled with music, lights, and a trance-like atmosphere, Patricia experiences a harrowing bad trip that triggers a heated argument with Larry. The couple’s relationship fractures as the emotional toll of the night exposes their differing responses to the movement’s promises and pressures. Patricia soon discovers she is pregnant, and Barnett counsels abortion, a decision that intensifies the personal and moral tensions surrounding her life and future. Patricia’s despair leads to a suicide attempt, from which Larry pulls her back, but the incident hardens his resolve to intervene and counter the cult he now stands against.
Larry’s mission crystallizes: he will do whatever it takes to dismantle Barnett’s cult and sever the grip it has on vulnerable youths. The situation escalates as he confronts the charismatic leader not with words but with action, ultimately firing a shot at Barnett from the crowd during a public speech. The moment is fraught with consequence, as the crowd’s energy shifts and a sense of destiny hangs in the air. In the aftermath, a fellow hippie—calm and composed—helps steady the crowd, and Elliott watches as the movement’s dynamics evolve around the fallen leader.
As the dust settles, Larry realizes the far-reaching impact of his drastic act: by shooting Barnett, he unintentionally turns the once-controversial figure into a martyr for the hippie movement. The narrative underscores how fragile idealism can be when distilled into charisma and mass appeal, and it questions the costs of rebellion when personal lives—like Patricia’s pregnancy and her choice—become entwined with political and social upheaval. The balance between individual conviction and collective fervor threads through the story, presenting a nuanced portrait of a youth culture at a crossroads and the men and women who navigate its promises, perils, and provocations.
