What’s So Bad About Feeling Good?

Pete lives in a Beatnik–Bohemian commune in a New York City loft, his cynicism and misanthropy fading into a kind of detached artistry. The group appears aimless and melancholy as they wait for the world to end, with one resident living in a burlap sack. The loft setting establishes the mood for his eventual transformation.

A toucan arrives, stowed away on a Greek banana boat, carrying a contagious virus. The virus triggers intense feelings of happiness and kindness in those it infects. The residents notice a sudden, infectious giddiness in the air around them.

Pete is first swept up by the euphoric effects, discovering a new sense of purpose that clashes with his former cynicism. Liz, his girlfriend, is alarmed by his abrupt change but remains physically close to him. The mood in the loft shifts as Pete begins to embrace a more hopeful outlook.

Pete decides to spread the virus by posing as the nihilist German philosopher leader of a doomsday cult, using close contact to propagate the contagion. He convinces Liz to let him kiss her as part of his ruse. The scheme unravels when his true identity is revealed during the interaction.

The group keeps the toucan and nicknames it Amigo, embracing the outbreak and disguising themselves to spread the virus across New York City. Liz remains physically immune, yet she experiences the kindness radiating from those around her and begins to respond in kind. The city starts to feel unusually gentle as more people are touched by the mood shift.

Pete resumes his job as an advertising executive, insisting that ads be honest. He is initially fired for this stance, but is later rehired when the other executives fall under the virus's spell. The corporate world buckles under the changing social mood as the citywide happiness spreads.

Authorities realize the virus threatens the economic lifeblood of New York, as people stop buying alcohol, tobacco, and drugs and the stock market teeters. The city divides between the cured and the still-infected, creating tension beyond personal happiness. The outbreak becomes a national concern for its economic consequences.

J. Gardner Monroe is dispatched by the government to stop the outbreak, arriving in a space helmet as a dramatic symbol of intervention. Several attempts to contain the virus follow, culminating in the interception of the toucan. His arrival marks a turning point toward finding a cure.

The toucan is captured, and a cure is discovered. The vaccine is dispersed through gasoline and industrial exhaust fumes to reach the wider city population. Those cured revert to their former nasty manners, while the immune remain kind even after the outbreak ends.

Pete returns to the loft as a cured man, insisting that advertising be honest. The dynamic with Liz shifts as she longs for the sharper edge of the earlier illness. Their relationship adapts in the wake of the citywide changes.

Liz declares she can no longer live in such a world and plans to return to her hometown, visiting a zoo to say goodbye to Amigo the toucan. Pete shows up, still pursuing a lasting connection, while the bird remains a symbol of the outbreak’s impact. The scene underscores how the virus altered their perspectives on life.

During a chaotic pursuit of the bird, they hide Amigo in Liz's dress and pretend she is pregnant to smuggle him away. The ruse is complicated when 'nice' police escort them to a hospital to give birth. The moment tests their loyalty and their ingenuity in protecting Amigo.

Pete and Liz recapture the toucan and manage a final escape from the zoo, reuniting in a shared sense of purpose. The bird’s fate remains a central symbol in their renewed partnership. The ending hints at a return to normal life, now colored by the lessons of the outbreak.