Winter Kept Us Warm

Peter Saarinen arrives at the University of Toronto as a freshman and takes a job as a dining hall waiter. Doug Harris and the Hunter House fraternity mock him as he starts to settle in. The encounter establishes Peter as an outsider within this social circle.

Peter and Doug meet in the university library, where Peter is reading The Waste Land. Doug apologizes for his earlier behavior in the dining hall. The moment signals a fragile first step toward reconciliation.

Doug and three other men go to a restaurant to pick up women, while Bev, Doug's girlfriend, performs a striptease for the group before they go to lunch. Doug ignores Bev and focuses his attention on other women. The scene adds strain to Bev and Doug's relationship.

Peter invites Doug to his dorm room to share Finnish pastries. He also shows Doug a phonograph record of Finnish music, revealing his heritage. Doug agrees to come to Peter's room to listen to it.

They attend a Harry Belafonte show together and then explore Toronto's nightlife around the city. The outing strengthens their friendship as they bond over music and city life. It marks a shift from casual acquaintances to closer companions.

After Hunter House's Christmas party, Peter drinks too much and passes out in the dining hall. Doug, concerned for his friend, leaves a dance to check on him. Peter's condition becomes a catalyst for their growing closeness.

Doug stays with Peter in his room as he recovers from the hangover. The two later go outside to play in the snow, continuing their bond beyond the party incident.

Peter is cast as the male lead in the play Ghosts and meets Sandra during rehearsals. The theatre setting introduces a romantic development as Sandra becomes a significant person in Peter's life. His relationship with Sandra begins to blossom.

Doug learns one of Peter's Finnish songs and performs it for him on a guitar. The moment reinforces their shared musical bond and Peter's influence. It foreshadows tension with Bev over Peter.

Bev questions why Doug is drawn to Peter, noting his difference from their circle. Doug explains that this difference is precisely why he admires Peter. The exchange deepens the emotional complexities among the trio.

Bev grows angry when Peter tells Doug and Bev that they cannot attend the cast party. The quarrel highlights the mounting strain in their relationships. The cast party becomes a flashpoint for escalating tensions.

Sandra and Peter fall in love and begin dating. As final exams approach, Doug finds it difficult to spend time with Peter alone because of Sandra's presence. The romantic tension intertwines with academic pressure.

Doug invites Peter to a fraternity dance, but Peter declines and goes to a club with Sandra instead. The couple's closeness further strains the bond with Doug. The social dynamics shift as Peter prioritizes his relationship with Sandra.

Doug has sex with Bev. Peter later tells Doug that he had sex with Sandra, which leads to insults toward Sandra. Peter tells Doug to leave his room, and Doug retaliates by kicking Peter's testicles.

Doug is surrounded in his room by items Peter gave him and plays the Finnish song he shared with Peter earlier. He then goes to the library where he reads The Waste Land. The scene closes on the lingering tensions and the enduring connection between the two men.