Helen Chandler

Cary, Shep, Bill, and Francis are pilots during World War I. Cary and Shep’s plane is shot down, and they barely survive; they’re released from the hospital on Armistice Day, damaged both physically and psychologically. The four friends, haunted by the devastation of the war, head to Paris instead of home, where they meet Nikki, an eccentric and wealthy young woman. Nikki is drawn to Cary, and the five friends–tagged by the boorish reporter, Frink–drink their way from Paris to Lisbon. Few of these members of the “lost generation” make it out of their travels intact.