Two young people stand on a street corner in a run-down part of New York, kissing. Despite the lawlessness of the district they are left unmolested. A short distance away walk Maria and Andreas. They are on their first date. In an episodic style the film tells of encounters and love among young people. The stories are set in Cairo, Paris, on the coast of Normandy and in New York.

John and Siri Lill are a couple who have been together for most of their forty something years, but are yet to be married. He works for a newspaper, and is a heavy drinker. She is a respected hairdresser, working for Birger, a commom friend. John, usually, bottle-in-hand is an ace at being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Tired of John's drinking, Siri decides to leave him and move to her parents' house. John's drinking then worsens, and their apartment becomes a mess. Siri decides to return to her and John's place, and that's when the Absolute Hangover really begins with a vengeance.