In Hollywood, Sir Francis Abercrombie, a British expatriate actor, makes a house call on housemates Dennis Barlow, a British poet and former screenwriter, and Sir Francis Hinsley, a British publicist. Abercrombie discovers that Barlow has been let go from his contract with Megalopolitan Pictures, and warns him that his current career choice, working at Happier Hunting Ground, a pet funeral service parlor, is embarrassing the British Hollywood community. After Abercrombie leaves, Barlow receives an urgent phone call from a Mrs. Heinkel that her dog, Arthur, has been hit and killed by an automobile; she thus needs the services of Happier Hunting Ground. So, Barlow goes to the Heinkel’s home and discusses the funeral arrangements for Arthur, and then heads to the funeral parlor with the corpse to place in storage.
Weeks later, Barlow is busy but enjoying his work. Hinsley, however, has been having difficulty in his job as a publicist. Megalopolitan has assigned him to rebrand the image of his client Juanita del Pablo from “Spanish to Irish” to make good on film trends. He is moved from his office to his home to work. Eventually, his secretary stops coming to his for work. Hinsley is perplexed and goes to Megalopolitan to find out what’s happened. He discovers that a younger man has replaced him as publicist, and an executive speaks with confirms that his contract has been terminated. In despair, he hangs himself.
Barlow discovers the body, and Abercrombie assigns him to make funeral arrangements at Whispering Glades funeral parlor. The day after, Abercrombie briefly discusses with other British expatriates that Barlow has gone astray in his career choice, but that if he’s guided he can again become respectable in their eyes. At Whispering Glades, Barlow is greeted by the mortuary hostess. She explains the philosophy of the founder Dr. Wilbur Kenworthy, who she fondly refers to as “The Dreamer.” She helps him chose the ceremonial and burial arrangements for “The Loved One,” Hinsley. Afterwards, she leaves the room, and the junior cosmetician Aimee Thanatogenos enters to discuss the appearance of Hinsley at the time of his death in order to prep the corpse. Contrasting her favorably to other American women, he’s instantly entranced by her appearance and air. During their discussion, Thanatogenos mentions her admiration for her immediate supervisor, Mr. Joyboy, the Senior Mortician and Cosmetician. After she leaves, Barlow declines further exploration of Whispering Glades.
Back at work, Barlow asks his employer Mr. Schultz for three days off for the funeral and any preliminary tasks. Mr. Schultz begrudgingly grants his request. Barlow meets with Abercrombie, who is planning the funeral service. Abercrombie assigns Barlow to search for and choose some of Hinsley’s pre-Hollywood literary work to read during the service. Barlow chooses an obscure book review to pass onto Abercrombie. Meanwhile, Mr. Joyboy has been preparing the body of Hinsley. Revealing the finished product to Thanatogenos, she expresses admiration at his work, which includes the known “Joyboy smile” on Hinsley’s visage.
Later, Barlow returns to the British section of the Whispering Glades cemetery for quick inspiration as he is going to write a tribute poem for Hinsley at the funeral next Thursday. Thanatogenos appears, tells why her parents named her Aimee, and explains the path that led her to join the corpse cosmetology field at Whispering Glades.
Six weeks later, Thanatogenos writes to the columnist Guru Brahmin because she has conflicted romantic feelings. Earlier, she was confused whether her admiration for Joyboy was an indication of love. Now, she has become infatuated with Barlow, who has been inciting her passion by sending her pilfered poetry from famous dead writers, though she is ignorant to their origins. To add to her confusion, Joyboy informs her that she has been chosen to train as the first female embalmer at Whispering Glades. To celebrate, he invites her to have dinner with him at his house, which he shares with his mother. She agrees, but she also has plans with Barlow for an afternoon date. Barlow proposes marriage during the date, but this upsets her when he reveals that her potential pay raise as an embalmer contributed to him deciding to propose. She then heads to Mr. Joyboy’s for the dinner date. The dinner is disconcerting to her as she sees his mother complain and domineer the whole time. Mr. Joyboy appears less commanding and masculine in her eyes after the experience. Back at home, she writes again to Guru Brahmin to ask whom she should choose. It is revealed to the reader that the Guru Brahmin is actually three individuals. A secretary, a columnist, and an advice writer named Mr. Slump who responds privately to concerns. After consultation, Mr. Slump writes back to tell Thanatogenos to pick Mr. Joyboy instead of Barlow.
Barlow, still looking for romantic success with Thanatogenos, asks for a raise at his job but is denied. During a pet funeral service, he speaks with a minister presiding over the service. He realizes that the ministry is a much more lucrative opportunity than his current work, which he has been hiding from his Thanatogenos. He thus tells her his newfound purpose of becoming a pastor, and during a date at the Lover’s Nook, she resolves to marry him. Later, she writes to both Mr. Joyboy and Guru Brahmin about her decision. Joyboy is visibly displeased, but the response of Guru Brahmin sends a congratulatory note, though the office believes she is making the wrong decision.
Thanatogenos, though she loves Barlow, still has misgivings about him and his flippant disposition. So, she continues to write the Guru Brahmin about her concerns. Following a night of bickering with her, Barlow sends her another poem to her workplace. Enraptured by the beautiful thought and noticing Joyboy’s still distraught demeanor, she places the poem on a corpse where Joyboy will notice it. Joyboy expresses appreciation for it, but unbeknownst to Thanatogenos, he knows that the poem is plagiarized. He also knows that Barlow works at Happier Hunting Ground, having gone there that morning to make funeral arrangements for his mother’s parrot. Knowing that it will ruin her impression of her fiancé, he asks that she accompany his mother for the funeral service on Wednesday.
Following her discovery of Barlow’s deception, she breaks off the engagement with him, which was never publicized and quickly becomes engaged to Joyboy, which is publicized in a number of mortician journals. Later, Dennis lays in wait, and cornering her at a restaurant, he tries to reason with her stay with him, but she turns him down, expressing her loathing of him. At home, her mind turns to doubts again, whether she was making the right choice. To assuage those doubts, she calls Mr. Joyboy, who declines to see her, as he is busy with his mother playing with a new parrot. For advice, she then calls Mr. Slump, who has since been fired from his position. In a drunken state, he tells her off. Depressed, she swallows a dose of barbiturates and goes to sleep. The next morning, she goes to work early and enters Joyboy’s work-room, where she commits suicide by injecting herself with embalming fluid.
Joyboy finds her body a little later and is distraught. He heads to Happier Hunting Ground, where Barlow, still resolved to enter the ministry, is training his replacement. Joyboy is worried how his reputation will be affected when there are inquiries about Thanatogenos’s death. Barlow tells him not to worry, and he’ll figure something out to hide the matter later. After he sends Joyboy away, Abercrombie appears to check up on him. He becomes increasingly disturbed when he realizes that Barlow has plans to become a non-denominational pastor. He tells him that he has to return to England for the reputation of the British expatriate community. Barlow agrees, but he mentions that he has no return fare. Abercrombie has collected funds for a cheap return and says that will have to do. Joyboy returns some hours later after Abercrombie leaves. Barlow tells him to bring Thanatogenos’s corpse to Happier Hunting Ground after hours. He’ll incinerate her, leaving no trace. It’ll be believed by others that she and Barlow ran away together. Because Barlow wants to leave the United States in style, he requests that Joyboy cash an insurance policy to purchase him a high-class ticket and give him money for additional expenses. They go to Whispering Glades to retrieve the body and return to the pet funeral parlor. He begins the incineration process, but Joyboy can’t bear to see his fiancée go out so indecorously and leaves. Barlow then begins reading a book while he waits for Thanatogenos’s corpse to be reduced to ashes.
