Welcome to L.A.

Celebrity musician Eric Wood plans to record an album of songs written by Carroll Barber. Susan Moore, Carroll’s aging manager, brings him to Los Angeles to oversee the sessions. The trip sets in motion a network of personal and professional entanglements around the recording project.

Susan arranges for Carroll to stay in a house rented from Ann Goode. Carroll settles into the home, and Ann soon becomes entangled with him as a potential romantic partner. The new residence anchors several shifting loyalties around the recording efforts.

Ann Goode is unhappy in her marriage to Jack Goode, who is pursuing their young housemaid Linda Murray. Linda’s presence promises complications for everyone, weaving her into the romantic currents among Carroll, Ann, and Ken. The household becomes a pressure cooker of longing and jealousy.

Susan hopes Carroll will rekindle their past affair, but he rebuffs her and instead has sex with Ann when she shows him his house. The encounter confirms Carroll’s reputation as a consummate womanizer. This moment deepens the rift between Carroll and Susan while strengthening his bond with Ann.

Ann tries to sustain the affair by dropping in and bringing Linda along to help with cleaning. The dynamic keeps Carroll distracted and the menage-a-trois of motives grows more tangled. Carroll continues to seek flings while offering only momentary attention to anyone in the house.

Carroll visits his wealthy father Carl, whom he hasn’t seen in three years. Carl, with Ken Hood, has transformed the Barber family dairy into a major business. The visit underscores how familial ambition and business pressures intersect with Carroll’s personal life.

Carroll begins affairs with receptionist Jeannette and his father’s photographer mistress Nona. The pattern of multiple romantic liaisons intensifies as others in the circle also chase their own desires. These connections complicate loyalties and threaten the stability of the recording project.

Ken Hood works long hours at the Barber business, neglecting his wife Karen. Karen becomes obsessed with taxi rides and the Greta Garbo film Camille, signaling a longing for escape and romance elsewhere. The marital strain foreshadows impending turmoil within the circle.

While driving under the influence, Carroll randomly meets Karen and is drawn to her. He takes her to his home, but when he tries to romance her, she reveals she is married and departs. The moment highlights Carroll’s inability to form a meaningful connection and foreshadows future complications.

Linda moves into Carroll’s spare room and invites Ken to visit her there, where he ends up meeting Ann. The gathering of more players in the same space intensifies the web of relationships. Romantic tensions escalate as loyalties blur.

Carl makes Ken partner in the Barber business, elevating his status and increasing his workload. The promotion tightens the schedule and compounds tensions at home. The season’s approach adds pressure for everyone to perform professionally and personally.

On Christmas Eve, Ken gets drunk and calls Ann for a date, but the evening ends badly as he cannot stop thinking of his wife. The attempt at an extramarital moment backfires, underscoring the fragility of the relationships in play. The holiday setting heightens the emotional stakes.

Jack and Linda spend the evening together while Linda asks Jack for money. The exchange reveals how financial need and sexual desire intertwine in the story’s moral economy. It further destabilizes the already fragile network of relationships.

Susan reveals to Carroll that Eric does not like the songs and that she and Carl bribed him to record the album in hopes of luring Carroll to Los Angeles. The ploy backfires as Carroll remains emotionally distant. The revelation marks a turning point that undermines the entire recording scheme.

Carroll goes to the recording studio and discovers that Eric Wood has decided not to finish the album. The artistic plan collapses, leaving Carroll to confront the consequences of his choices. The film closes on the ripple effects of the season’s tangled ambitions.