A group of expatriates drift through 1920s Europe seeking pleasure and purpose after the First World War, their aimless socializing and affairs culminating in a hedonistic trip to Pamplona for the running of the bulls and the bullfights. Told by a wounded veteran who cannot consummate his love for a charismatic, free-spirited woman, the narrative follows friendships, jealousy, and emotional dislocation, revealing the pain, resilience, and moral emptiness of a generation adrift.