Shy, indecisive Steph Andrian and assertive, handsome Nick Hallis, have been best friends since childhood. Nick taught Steph all the social skills and sports while Steph helped Nick with his schoolwork. They are a team and their lives are full of promise.

After university, Nick marries Olivia, and Steph marries his boss's daughter, Sabine, both delighted with their good fortune. A freak accident ravages Steph's life. Then, in a vividly lucid dream, Steph makes love to Nick's wife, the goddess-like Olivia. The uncanny outcome devastates Steph and his confusion intensifies with this seeming betrayal of his life-long friend.

Against a backdrop of rapid social and political change, love and loss, Steph reflects on how fate has juggled his life, and how life's lottery provides a serendipitous opportunity to repay his indebtedness to Nick.